Caregiver duties can vary from case to case, but they can include managing medications, going to medical appointments, cleaning, cooking, and companionship.
But the most important caregiver duty is the health and the wellbeing of the person that they are responsible for under their care.
A caregiver for seniors will help with your loved ones’ activities and their daily tasks. With caregivers for seniors, there could be different reasons that you might want one, you may need one for memory issues such as Alzheimer’s, to help with chronic conditions, or you may need one after an injury or an illness.
It is important to know if in-home senior care is still the appropriate care for your loved one, or is it time for more specialized care. Depending on the level of care that is required, it is important to know the level of stress emotionally on physically that this type of care can put on you, the family, and the caregiver. Read on if you are interested in putting your parents in assisted living for the elderly with high blood pressure.
Duties Of A Caregiver
Caregiving duties can vary from case to case, bus a caregiver for seniors can expect to assist with medical needs, they manage the medications, help with medical appointments, and help with many chronic conditions and respite care.
Senior Care Plan
The caregiver should follow the senior care plan, and if there is no senior care plan, one should be created. Assess what is needed, medical management, pain management, memory care, physical care, and make sure that the overall health and safety are met.
Daily Activities
Helping with daily activities, such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, will be required. If the senior has mobility issues or memory issues, it is important to know that the senior might need the help of 2 people, and not just one caregiver.
Companionship
Seniors can feel loneliness, and an essential part of senior caregiving is companionship, having conversations discussing different subjects, can help with loneliness and create a bond between the senior and their caregiver.
Housekeeping
Basic housekeeping will be required by the caregiver, cleaning, dusting, laundry, doing the dishes, and taking out the trash, it is important to help to maintain the overall condition and cleanliness of the house.
Depending on the health of the senior, sometimes, moving them into an assisted living home is a better and safer option.
Medications
Monitoring the medications is important to manage chronic conditions, making sure that the correct doses are taken and how many times a day they need to be taken.
Avoiding medication mix up is important, so having a system is helpful, and using pillboxes can also help when the caregiver is not there.
Assess
The senior care plan should be assessed regularly, as the senior’s health changes, their care plan should also change with them. Caregivers’ duties will change, and it’s good to be on top of the changes so that the senior’s health needs and requirements are being met.
Meals
Preparing meals is an important part of caregiving, as the seniors age, it may become unsafe for them to continue to cook for themselves.
Meal preparation should be done so that the is plenty of cooked and prepared food in the fridge for the senior. Make sure that the senior is getting all of the required nutrients in their meals.
The caregiver should also help with getting the groceries, and buying the food and snacks that the senior will need.
Mobility
Falling is the biggest risk for all seniors especially when they are living at home, if the senior is having difficulty with moving, getting in and out of bed, getting out of their chair, the caregiver will help to transfer them and prevent them from falling.
Transportation
Taking the senior to their doctor’s appointments, or other activities, is needed, as it is no longer safe for the senior to drive.
Here at Loving Assisted Living, we always try to give to you the best information, if you feel it is no longer safe for your loved one to live in their home, and the duties of a caregiver are becoming too much, contact us, and let us help you to find an assisted living community for your loved one.
When your loved one is in a senior assisted living home, they are in an environment that is tailored towards them and their needs. There is also built-in social life for them so you do not have to worry about them being lonely anymore.