Caring for our elderly relatives can be tricky. We love our parents and grandparents and want them to be safe and well-cared for, but often, our feelings towards them are coloured by our childhood feelings towards these adults who cared for us, taught us and provided for all our needs. The switch to being the care-provider can be a painful one for both parties, especially if an element of personal care is needed.

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A good alternative is for a home care agency to be brought in to provide these small services, allowing the older person the dignity of being cared for by a trained carer, rather than having an untrained relative perform the tasks.

The services provided by a home care agency vary enormously, with some older people just needing someone to come in with a fresh supply of medications, and help them to get up in the morning or get ready for bed at night, while others can need hours of supervision and full-time care due to reasons of immobility, dementia, incontinence and more.

When choosing a home care agency, you should take your time to assess the options available to you. Try to find an agency that has a choice of carers in your area. You may well end up with one favoured carer who attends your loved one more than anyone else, but having a replacement or two readily available in the event of your ‘usual’ going on holiday can be an extra layer of reassurance in knowing that your elderly relative is being well-looked after.

Once you begin to see the first signs of deterioration in your parent’s cognition or ability to take care of themselves – and these signs can be small, and easy to miss: momentary forgetfulness, chores that are normally done promptly being left, an increase in issues with mobility, memory and time-keeping – it is time to begin a conversation. Sound your parent out and see if you can ascertain what their wishes are: to be moved to sheltered accommodation or residential care, or to be looked after within their own homes for as long as possible. If being cared for at home is their wish, you can have an assessment undertaken to see what level of care they need, and for how many hours each day.

No matter the results of that first assessment, try to be prepared for a decline. Some older people lose their faculties and abilities very slowly, remaining alert and in control of themselves for years, with just a meal provision and perhaps a house-keeping service popping in once or twice a day, while others can, once a decline is noticed, deteriorate rapidly from the onset of issues. It is almost impossible to tell how rapid or slow each person’s decline will be, so you should try to be prepared for quite dramatic changes at any time.

Home care services in Bournemouth ensure the safety and good health of your loved ones, whether they just need a little help every now and then, or full time care on a more regular basis. Follow the link to find out more about the services available today.