We designed this checklist for caring for elderly parents to give you a tangible overview of areas to consider when you’re taking care of your loved one.

Let’s look at the five most important areas to consider when you’re supporting elderly parents.

1 – Surviving Caregiving

First things first: remember to take care of yourself. While caring for an elderly parent can be a beautiful experience, many caregivers also share with us that the juggling of the multiple responsibilities involved weighs on them, especially over time. It can be a lot to balance, but knowing your limits, establishing boundaries, and asking for help goes a long way to support your own wellbeing as a caregiver.

Learn our top three tips for taking care of yourself as a caregiver.

2 – Medication Worries

Most older adults take at least one, and often multiple, medications, whether to manage a serious health condition or improve quality of life as they age. 15% of senior hospitalizations occur from medication errors or adverse drug reactions. We recommend an organized tracking system that works for you and your elderly parent to stay on top of medications and considerably reduce risk.

Download our medication chart templates to stay on top of medications.

3 – Nutrition and Wellness

Improved mental clarity, a healthier immune system, and increased energy are just a few benefits of a well-designed nutrition and wellness program for your aging parent. But from efficient grocery shopping to ensuring they’re eating a variety of healthy foods, a healthy and sustainable nutrition plan for seniors requires a bit of up front planning. And when it comes to physical wellbeing and fitness, it’s important to consider a variety of factors, including whether they’re getting quality sleep and which types of exercises they might enjoy.

Get clarity about where you could use support as a caregiver with our nutrition and physical needs assessments.

4 – Personal and Home Safety

While seniors often opt to stay in their homes as long as possible, a 2020 study found that fewer than 10% of U.S. homes have enough aging-accessible features. This includes things like wheelchair accessibility, first floor bedrooms and bathrooms, and built-in shower seats. When you’re considering senior safety, it’s also important to remember emotional wellbeing. Lower social support or a lack of emotional safety can leave your loved one more susceptible, for example, to senior scams.

Get started on an aging-accessible home with this senior friendly bathroom checklist.

5 – Planning Ahead

As your parents age, you may find yourself responsible for care decisions, from adult day care or short term stay possibilities to end of life wishes. An excellent starting point is meeting as a family to understand any particular desires your aging parent may have, so they can be as much part of conversation as possible.

Take our planning needs assessment to pinpoint any areas you may need clarity or support.

Next Steps

While senior caregiving is a learn-as-you-go process for most of us, the more clarity you can get up front, the smoother the experience will be for the whole family. We hope this checklist for aging parents offers a helpful bird’s eye view on your journey in caring for your loved one.

And as always, we’re here to help. Call us at 855-461-2552 or send us a message, anytime.

The post Caring for Aging Parents: A Practical Checklist appeared first on Benton House.

100% Yes. (From experience, we’d go so far as to say it’s probable.)

The big question, then: is it possible to lighten your load while still remaining a supportive caregiver?

Also 100% yes.

That’s why we’ve designed this caregiver burnout quiz.

Regain Your Life Balance

Because not only is it possible to regain life balance while showing up as a loving caregiver, but we’ve seen again and again joy return to parent-child relationships when needs are better met for both parties.

Here’s the truth: like with most things we want to change, the first step is awareness. Sometimes we’re so close to our challenges that we don’t even realize how underwater we feel until we come up for air.

If you’re taking care of an elderly parent, you’re juggling an ever-growing list: managing medications, assessing memory loss, making sure mom’s eating. It’s a lot. And at the end of each day, there are still your own needs. Taking care of yourself is the foundation to show up as the caregiver you’d like to.

Take the Caregiver Burnout Quiz

So if you’re feeling a little tender — or a lot overwhelmed — right now? We see you. You’re not alone. Consider this your official invitation to get a clear picture of where you could use support — and to ask for it.

Carve out a few minutes for yourself to take this burnout quiz, more officially called the Caregiver Impact Analysis. We find that folks are often surprised by how many aspects of their lives are affected by caretaking.

Take the 13 questions Caregiver Impact Analysis here.

Next Steps:

After taking the quiz, you may realize your life could use some re-balancing. Wondering the best way to start taking back the reins? Read our top tips for caretaking here. Spoiler: they have nothing to do with Medicaid or getting mom to take her medicine — and everything to do with finding that elusive balance.

And as always, we’re here to help. Call us at 678-297-0388 or send us a message, anytime.

The post Caregiver Burnout Quiz: Are You Getting The Support You Need? appeared first on Benton House.