The 7 Most Common Concerns About Having Aging Parents

Concerns About Aging Parents

If you are at the stage of life where you have aging parents, you know how unsettling it is to be thinking of them alone and struggling. Here are seven areas of common concern.

1. Is Mom or Dad, okay being “home alone?”

There are many concerns about an aging parent being home alone especially if they are frail and needing more and more help. Parents tend to be proud and don’t want to ask their children for help. They may also be afraid of being taken out of their home and placed into a retirement home or nursing home if they show weakness or inability to care for themselves. You want to help when they do ask but you may be unable. Knowing they need assistance and not being able to be there for them can cause you and the family serious stress. 

Did you know that we have “Pre-Screened” caregivers who can help your Mom or Dad on an hourly basis with a schedule to fit your needs and budget? We can customize a plan that will work for you and your Mom or Dad.

2. Are you worried about Mom or Dad’s safety?

As parents get older basic activities of daily living — getting out of bed, getting dressed, taking a shower, or making a meal — can become challenging. Most accidents happen in the home and the risk factors only go up with age. One big concern may be falling, leaving the stove on, or forgetting to lock doors, or leaving water on, etc..

If you have had safety concerns our caregivers make sure your loved one is safe. We will assist them with all their basic activities as needed so that you won’t worry that they are doing things at home alone that is potentially dangerous for them.

3. Are you worried because you live too far away to check on Mom or Dad when you want to or need to?

Many families live far away from aging parents. If you don’t live close to your loved one, you and your siblings may not be able to easily stop over to check on them. Not being able to see mom or dad to make sure they are ok is stressful. 

We are one phone call away and having a caregiver that you trust to be with your parents and be your eyes and ears can relieve you of this stress. 

4. Do you worry that Mom or Dad isn’t eating right, maybe losing weight?

Maintaining good nutrition and remaining hydrated is critical to everyone’s health but especially for elders. It is important to monitor for weight loss to make sure your loved one is not malnourished or dehydrated. 

We are not professional chefs but Our caregivers will assist with meal preparation and cooking. They will be companions during meals and encourage good choices for meals and snacks. Our caregivers will help monitor weight on a weekly basis and report to you.

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5. Do you worry about Mom or Dad falling?

Falls are one of the most frequent and dangerous occurrences for elders home alone. Falls become a big concern for parents who are weak and not feeling well. Falling and breaking bones of any kind is serious but breaking a hip is usually a real game changer for an elder. 

We can see the risks of a fall before they happen we are proactive and we safety proof the house. Remove all throw rugs, review all uneven surfaces and install grab bars in the shower and bathroom areas. Having a caregiver present to assist with bathing and showers especially is a good proactive measure. 

6. Do you worry that your Mom or Dad is not taking their medications correctly?

Maybe you worry that they aren’t taking their medications at all? Or taking too much? Medication errors are the cause of many emergency room visits for elders. Especially if your parent is forgetful, has dementia or poor eyesight, medication problems are serious issues. 

Solutions: Our caregivers will remind your parent to take their medications, observe and monitor the medications taken, be aware of side effects and report when there is a problem.

7. Do you worry that Mom or Dad may be missing doctor’s appointments or may not remember what the doctor said when they get home?

This is also a very common problem. Elders don’t always tell the doctor how they really are when asked and so doctors aren’t always totally aware of important issues at home. Often there are other communication problems or hearing problems that make the appointment less effective than it could be. Many times elders cannot understand or remember what their doctor said to them. Sometimes they need help with follow up labs or tests etc.

Our caregivers can drive your parent to their doctor’s appointments and be good support while they are there. They can be a great source of information to you regarding changes in medications, treatments and recommendations.

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These are only a few of the most common concerns with elder parents at home. If you have these or other concerns about your parent being “home alone,” please call us. We are happy to talk with you over the phone about your concerns and in addition, our staff can arrange for our nurse care manager to come out and do a complimentary assessment for your loved one. 

Grace Care is a nurse-owned and operated home care organization. We are here to help! 

	

		

		

	

					

			
	

		
		
Romney R. San Diego, CA
		

			

				  "I highly recommend Cindy as a care management consultant for anyone needing help managing the health care or concerns of an elderly loved one.

My mother and I first heard about Cindy when we got news that my father's Medicare benefits were prematurely being cut off by the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) he was at after he had survived a massive stroke and the SNF didn't think he was making enough "progress" in therapy. He still had over a month left of his 100 days of coverage, which he badly needed to use - the injury to his brain being so severe - so it just didn't make sense. The cost to pay privately for him to stay at the SNF was exorbitant - $355/day - and he was no where near being able to be cared for at home. We were stunned, angry, perplexed, thought the SNF would help us through the process of managing my father's recovery, had no idea what our legal rights were, nor what we should do. I called around for an attorney, and one of the paralegals I spoke with suggested I call Cindy."  			
		
	
	

	

					

			
	

		
		
Dr. Stuart B. Kipper
		

			

				  "I have been a practicing Internist in the North San Diego County area for nearly 30 years. In that time, I have had the pleasure, and unfortunate frequent displeasure, to work with a number of different home care agencies and other providers of care to my patients. Grace Care Management has constantly proven themselves the best of the bunch. Their attention to detail and appropriate continuity of care has not only pleased my patients, but they have also exceeded the standard of care and have accomplished what few such agencies are capable of achieving- added benefit to the patient and improvement in their health care and quality of life.

It is always a pleasure and easy decision to include Grace Care in my patient’s lives. Everyone wins and the degree of communication is just right and always focused appropriately on the real issues at play, regardless of the personality of the patient or their unique and frequently complicated medical situations.

They are the elite ‘concierge’ home care provider my patients deserve and reliably benefit from on a daily basis."  			
		
	
	

	

					

			
	

		
		
Vivienne Bennett
		

			

				  "I have known Cindy Hasz and her care management company, Grace Care Management for over 8 ½ years. Grace Care Management and Rays of Hope have successfully coordinated and provided a high quality level of service that is individualized and specially designed to meet each client’s individual needs. Grace Care has over and over demonstrated excellence in the care management and caregiver provision of service in the community. Clients and families express a high level of satisfaction as they often go above and beyond the standard in other organizations."  			
		
	
	

	

					

			
	

		
		
G. Kenneth Vincent
		

			

				  "Miracles don’t often happen, but I have seen them occur with expert professional care and a high level of interest as provided by Grace Care. Since Grace Care has provided my home care, healing has accelerated both physically and emotionally. The services they have advocated have been outstanding and validated by my continuing ability to recover at home with feelings of certainty and security. Their consultation has been personal and caring, providing new and deeper understanding of methods of getting well. I will soon be ready to continue my life independently thanks to their supervision."  			
		
	
	

	

					

			
	

		
		
Gordon G. Kaplan
		

			

				  "I would like to thank Grace Care Management for their caring approach and professional skill in assisting our family. As mother approaches age 90, she has required increasing levels of care management and expert interface with the medical establishment – and Grace Care has done an excellent job in both areas. One notable example: Grace Care recently arranged for mother to receive a comprehensive evaluation and course of treatment by an inter-disciplinary team of geriatric specialists at UCSD‘s Hillcrest facility, with very positive results for mother’s general health and outlook."