How to Care for Seniors at Home

Helping care for an elderly loved one at home increases her quality of life.

If a loved one is sick or aging progressively, they need special care and attention 24 hours a day. You have the choice of obtaining the services of a nursing home, but you can also care for a person at home. Caring for an elderly person at home requires medical, hygienic and emotional attention to assure that the elderly person's needs are met. Learning how to care for an elderly person at home can be an emotionally exhausting endeavor, but it assures that your loved one spends his remaining years in comfortable, familiar surroundings.

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning materials
• Medical equipment

Instructions

1. Designate a bedroom for your elderly loved one that is spacious enough to accommodate her needs. For example, if she requires a large breathing machine, provide enough room for this to be kept near her bed.

2. Sanitize the bedroom, including all bedding, flooring and surfaces. If the room is carpeted, shampoo it with sanitizing solution, which can be obtained for shampooers at grocery and department stores. Sanitize and clean the rest of the house where your loved one may enter, such as bathrooms, kitchen and living quarters. Elderly people sometimes have compromised immune systems or heightened allergies due to illness or medication, so it is necessary to take care of sanitation and hygiene needs adequately.

3. Seek out the services of a home-care nurse if your elderly loved one requires daily or 24-hour assistance by a medically trained professional. It also helps to take a home-care provider and first-aid course, which is offered by community colleges and sometimes fire and police departments. This 8- to 24-hour course trains you in the basics of preventing and dealing with disasters surrounding home health care. You will learn how to administer CPR in case your loved one's provider isn't around.

4. Take your elderly loved one to all of his doctor's appointments, or schedule house visits if you are able to. This keeps you up to date on all his medical needs that should be met while in your home. These include medication, nutrition and mental health needs.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to consider a nursing home or assisted living facility if care for your loved one is too stringent for you. Assisted living facilities offer hands-on, 24-hour care when it is needed.

References

• Queens University of Charlotte: Caring for the Elderly