4 Tips for Taking Care of Elderly Parents

The amount of people over the age of 65 in the United States is projected to rise to 95 million by 2060. That is nearly double the 2018 baseline of 52 million people.

With so many people in their golden years, chances are that some of them are, or will soon be, your parents. Taking care of elderly parents can be a challenge especially during the Pandemic.

The following 4 tips will help you learn how to take care of elderly parents without having to subject them to the horrors of an institutionalized nursing home.

1. Use the Basics of Time Management

Time management is a useful skill that is not only applicable to your work life but also to your personal life as well. It can be challenging to balance your job, family, recreational activities, and dreams/goals.

With the right foundation of a solid time management strategy, it can be done. Make sure to budget some amount of time for your parents. Helping elderly parents can be rewarding and fun.

Depending on how much help your parents need, you can start small by dedicating one afternoon per weekend to them and the chores they need help with.

Setting personal boundaries early on will help you prevent getting burned out by feeling like you are always “on-call”. As your parents get older and need more help, rework your time management strategy accordingly.

2. Think About Living Together

If you are already a successful homeowner with a job and family, it may be time to build that Mother-in-Law suite behind the garage. If not, you may want to think about moving back home with Mom and Dad.

Aging parents not only need a lot of assistance, but they also can get very lonely. By living in one household you can help them out and also provide much-needed emotional support.

Combining a living situation can also save you both a whole lot of money. Just make sure to set boundaries so you still have your privacy.

3. Get Help Taking Care of Elderly Parents

If you get overwhelmed while learning how to help old parents, don’t hesitate to get some extra help.

There are plenty of nursing home alternatives that allow your parents to remain free of the institution and still get the care they need.

Things like live in-care may be expensive, but it lets you and your parents remain independent.

4. Enjoy Your Time Together

Your parents brought you into this world, you owe it to them to make their later years as comfortable as possible. Try to plan a fun family activity at least once a week.

Listen to your parent’s stories, even the ones you have heard a thousand times. One day you will appreciate them more, and you still have a lot to learn from your parents.

Don’t look at your role as one of servitude, view it as a learning experience, and make sure to have plenty of fun with your older parents while taking care of them.

Give Back

Parents give their children a whole lot in life. It is time for you to pay them back by learning the basics of taking care of elderly parents. As the circle of life comes full swing, you can only hope your children think the same way one day.

Take care of your elderly parents today by resisting the urge to put them in a nursing home. They will thank you for it for the rest of their life. For all your other news and info make sure to check out the rest of our blog!