By Lori,
Last updated on April 30, 2019 The links in the post below may be
affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.
This
post about aging at home with Caregivers is close to my heart. Thank you
to Anthem Blue Cross for partnering with me on this sponsored post.
Over
the years, I have shared my challenges with preparing my children for adulthood
and becoming an empty-nester. Truth be told, I am less sad now and more excited
about this new phase of life with my husband. Both of my children are happily
married now to wonderful spouses and I count myself blessed.
I’ve
also shared the challenges of being part of the Sandwich Generation where we
have children at home while caring for our aging parents. My dad passed away 9
years ago, however, I still have my mom who is now in her 90s. When I moved to
the opposite coast as a young woman, I did not stop for a minute to realize
this meant I would not be close by when my parents needed me the most. I still
struggle with this decades later.
One of
the reasons, I became a full-time blogger was that it has given me the freedom
to spend time with my mom which I now do several times a year. Fortunately, my
siblings live a lot closer to her although they are still busy raising their
children.
To fill
in the gaps, we have assembled a wonderful team of caregivers who help make it
possible for our mom to still live at home.
If you
are looking into new Medicare coverage for yourself or loved ones in your care,
I can highly recommend Anthem Blue Cross. Be sure to inquire about their
new package of benefits:
·
The new package of benefits, which Anthem and its
affiliated health plans, including Anthem Blue Cross, provides a choice of
wellness services including healthy food delivery, health-related transportation
services, adult day center visits to help reduce loneliness, personal home
helpers to help with daily activities at home and pain management.
Anthem
Blue Cross has plans that provide high-quality services and
innovative solutions to help keep individuals safe in their homes as long as
possible!
My dad
was a life long teacher and educator and he did a fantastic job saving and
providing for our family. I still marvel at what he was able to put aside on a
one-income school teacher’s salary. Watching my parents do more with less was
the impetus for my blog.
If you
are in the Sandwich Generation stage of life and in need of caregivers for an
aging parent, I wanted to share our tips with you and also invite you to share
your ideas. We can help each other and learn from each other. It is a tough
role to fill on your own.
Mom is
comfortable in her familiar surroundings and we have found joy in the simple
things. There are times when we get melancholy and worry about the changes to
come but have to remind each other that just for today, things are stable and
we try not to let future worry rob us of today’s blessings.
My
sister put up the Christmas tree for her and we loved seeing Mom looking at the
treasured ornaments we have saved throughout the years.
For us,
it takes a team effort of eyes and ears to coordinate the care of our mom. In
addition to her four children, we use a team of three caregivers to cover all
of the daytime hours. Not only does this give her the extra hands at home that
she needs, but it also provides interaction and companionship to avoid
loneliness.
Once
mom is put to bed, we use a camera and a life alert-type monitoring system
until her caregiver comes in the morning to get her out of bed.
During
her day, we use detailed lists to coordinate her care so that no matter who is
attending to her, we are not letting anything fall through the cracks. We have
found that this is the easiest way to communicate and divide responsibilities.
When we
sat down to make a list of tasks that she would need help with, we were
surprised at how many there are. If you are in the beginning stages of caring
for a parent who is aging at home, I hope our list can be helpful to you.
If your
parent is on multiple medications, you will need a medication chart so nothing
gets missed. We need to also monitor bowels and water intake.
We also
use another chart to keep track of a bathing schedule and simple things like
setting her hair which she still enjoys. You may need one for haircuts and
other items such as exercise.
Our
primary Caregiver does the light house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping,
meal planning, and preparation. If you use multiple people for these tasks, you
will want to have a tracking system in place.
If your
parent has pets, then you may need to arrange for help with them too.
My
brother and his wife take care of scheduling home repairs, paying bills, paying
taxes and managing her finances. They also arrange for home maintenance such as
grass cutting and snow removal.
Now
that we have home helpers, we don’t need to take time off or rearrange our
schedules to take her to her medical appointments. Her trusted caregivers take
her to medical appointments along with a list of any concerns or observations
we have and then they send a group text to keep us all informed after the
appointment.
Her
Caregivers also help her to pick out and mail birthday cards to the
grandchildren so she never misses a birthday or graduation.
A few
more items to think about:
Continually
assess the home for safety. Are their rugs that can be tripped on? Are their
grab bars in areas where they are needed? If your parent may wander off, do you
need a personal alert device?
Other
important tips include:
·
Having a backup plan in case someone is sick or cannot work
their shift
·
Be flexible as needs may change over time
·
Get to know their neighbors and exchange phone numbers
·
Have an extra house key in a safe place
·
Reach out to their other friends and family members and ask them
to visit. Coordinate on a calendar so they are not all coming at the same time.
Try to arrange outings with friends for meals and for church if that is
something they have always enjoyed.
·
Find activities such as word searches, puzzles or looking
through old photographs to stimulate their mind.
To
learn more about Medicare, Medicare eligibility, coverage options and how it
all works, simply visit the Anthem Blue Cross website.
This is
a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Anthem Blue Cross.
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