If your elderly relative has reached a stage in their life when they are frail, perhaps they are prone to falling and injuring themselves or they have had a stroke or maybe they have become confused through dementia, it could be time to look at what home care could do for them. Many elderly people resist the idea of live-in care and the same reasons for this come up time and again but when you take time to understand and discuss their worries with them it is easier to find a way to convince them to consider live-in care.
1. Loss of Independence
It’s only natural to think that having someone in your home caring for all your needs means you lose your independence or the ability to carry on with normal life but nothing could be further from the truth. Research into elderly care has shown that having home care can mean a new lease of life. Your relative can still lead a full social life if they wish as live-in carers will take them to appointments, to the hairdresser or on shopping trips for example.
2. Giving Up A Pet
When a person enters a nursing home they do usually have to relinquish ownership of a pet and this often hits very hard. With home care this is not an issue. Your relative can keep a much loved pet at home with them to carry on enjoying their companionship because one of the many tasks that a home carer can help with is pet care.
3. They May Be Frightened
Elderly people can experience different feelings about accepting care. They may feel angry that they have arrived at the stage when they may be physically vulnerable or frail; they may even feel anger about being elderly and being unable to do things they used to be able to do easily. This is understandable so it is essential to reassure them that by accepting help their life will be so much better and easier to manage. In addition they may be worried about the carer assigned to them. You should explain to them about the personalised matchmaking service provided by the care provider which means they will get a carer who is perfectly suited to them and who can give emotional support and companionship.
4. Loss of Control
They may feel that accepting help means losing control of every aspect of their life from managing finances and medications to making decisions on what to have for dinner or when to see friends and family. A live-in carer is there to help with these decisions – not to take over completely!
By keeping your relative involved in decisions about their future care needs you can better overcome their resistance to the idea of live-in care.
