Our parents made all the effort to take care of us, from the first day we were born, the moment we stepped out to school, to the time we achieved every milestone in our lives. Thus, we can’t ignore the reality they are not getting any younger, and it’s our turn to take care of them, but what do we need to know in order to do so?
In this article, we have gathered some helpful tips on how to do it flawlessly.
Understand Your New Role
We can all agree that it is a whole different story for us, being the responsible parent to our mom and dad. It is not an easy task and most of the time we have no clue how to do it. The first step you need to do is to understand and accept the responsibility of taking care of your parents the way they have taken care of you. This process is beneficial, not only to understand what we need to do but also to lessen the tension within ourselves as we take on a new journey.
Provide Them with Their Needs
As we age, our body’s energy tends to lessen and have a decrease in function. It targets our nerves that can result in difficulty in walking that our elderly parents encounter. It is risky to leave them unattended and having the fear that they might trip or fall because of their weak knees. To make them more comfortable, you can provide them with these walkers that create stability when they want to go somewhere. This will provide them a much safer walk that your elder parents can rely on. There are several choices available on the market with reviews that will help you pick the right one.
Monitor How Are They Doing
Our body may look fine on the outside but gets complicated inside. Even if we eat or live healthily, there might still be hidden illnesses that may lie within the body. That is why it is essential to have your parents checked regularly with their physician to make sure they are at their best always. Make it a habit to get your parents to undergo an annual physical examination and allow doctors to have assessments whether they feel great or not. This is beneficial for your parents to know what they will focus on their health too.
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Physical screening - to check their blood pressure, eye exam, obesity.
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Vaccinations - flu, and pneumococcal
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Mental health - depression, and dementia
Once they have been examined, they will be able to make drastic changes to their routine, meal plan, and vitamin intake making them healthier than ever.
Spend Time With Them
When we are kids, we tend to be attached to our parents 24/7. and we don’t want them to take out of sight. As we age, our priorities change over the years, from going to school, hanging out with friends, to working hard professionally. Now that the table has turned, we want to make sure that they will be our utmost priority. Spending more time with them to patch things up and create more memories are of the few checklists we want to achieve. A recent study shows that family bonding makes the connection between members of the family. We want to make them feel that we still need them without making them feel that they are a burden to handle.
Make Them Your Priority
Prioritizing our home and making it safe from a possible hazard is a must! The first thing you need to do is to make your home safe in every corner of the room. Our parents become prone to accidents, that is why we should child-proof our home and see what needs to be repaired to avoid our elder parents slipping or falling because of uneven flooring. Making our home equipped with enough lighting so that they can be able to see it clearly. Aside from home improvements, you should also help them with their regular exercise by doing some simple stretches in the morning, or have a 5-10 minutes walk with them. Last, but not least, give them the right nutritional support with a good balance of vegetables and vitamins.
We have limited knowledge of how to take care of our parents as we are used to the norm that they are the ones who take good care of us. We lack understanding of how to do it properly but with the help of the tips mentioned above, you will no longer be afraid or be anxious about what needs to be done for them. Giving the right amount of love, compassion, and tons of patience is the key to make your parents well cared for.
