Living in another area than your senior does makes caregiving complicated. It means that you’re not as able to do things personally and you’re more reliant on other people handling hands-on tasks in your stead. It’s important to make sure you know what needs to happen and who can handle what.
Figure out the Highest Priorities
Take a look at what your senior’s biggest concerns are and plan from there. This means you need a full picture of what’s going on. You’re going to need to talk to everyone who is helping your senior already, including her doctor and other medical professionals. For example, your senior’s biggest issue might be home safety. If that’s the case, you’ll need someone to assess current safety concerns so that you can start putting a plan together to address them.
Start Putting Together a Team
Everyone who helps you sort through your senior’s priority concerns, helps address them, and assists in other ways is helping you form your senior’s team. You’re a big member of that team as her family caregiver, but you can’t do it all alone. Even if you were there with her all the time, you’d need help. It’s important to consider who can do what and what pieces you’re missing in your team. This is a perfect time to bring in home care providers to help you work out all of these details.
Make Sure Everyone Knows Their Roles
Part of having an effective team is knowing that everyone is prepared for their part of the plan. Your senior’s medical team is already doing their part, of course. Other family members may be able to pitch in with help you didn’t know to expect, too. Part of having a plan is so that you know who is taking care of what part of helping your senior. That’s vital in order to make sure that every need is covered.
Track Who Is Doing What
Keeping track of who is doing what helps you to stay on top of everything. You’re going to be better able to assess where there are gaps and put solutions in place for your aging family member. Making sure you know who is doing what also helps you to feel as if you’re doing what you can, whether you’re able to be there as often as you want to be or not.
It’s tough to do all that you want to do for your senior when you’re not able to be right there with her. That’s why it helps to know who you can rely on and who can handle what for her.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering home care in Madison, WI please contact the caring staff at Agape Senior Services Madison today. (608) 841-1004
