As your parent or grandparent gets older, they may need assistance handling everyday tasks, such as making dinner or getting dressed. While you might be willing to serve this role, it doesn’t mean you have the ability to be by their side every minute of the day. In this case, in-home care is a viable alternative. If you’re recognizing the need for professional help but are hesitant to bring it up to your senior loved one, consider these tips to start a conversation.

3 Tips On How to Talk to a Senior About In-Home Health Care

1. Bring Up the Perks

Start off your conversation as casually as possible by stating the advantages of in-home care in general. Mention how your co-worker’s parent is really enjoying having someone else take care of all the dishes, or how the professional caregiver saved them from missing a crucial dose of their prescription. Eventually, bring up these benefits in relation to your senior loved one. For example, if you notice they’re having trouble getting dressed, mention how nice it would be to have someone help with this mundane task consistently.

2. Mention How It Will Help You

In some cases, your senior loved one may not be ready to admit that they need assistance with everyday tasks. Instead of reminding them, mention how an in-home caregiver would be of service to you, as your parent’s current caregiver. Talk about how you don’t have time to do the dishes because you need to take the kids to soccer practice, and how helpful it would be to have someone to pitch in. Mention how having someone to keep your parent company would make you feel more comfortable leaving the house whenever you go get groceries or stop by the office.

3. Take a Test Drive

If your loved one is still uncomfortable with the idea of full-time in-home care, start by offering them time-limited sessions. With respite care services, you can hire a caregiver to stop by for just a few hours instead of a whole day. Your parent might be more open to this temporary arrangement, and in time, they’ll see how those few hours benefit them and the family as a whole. Once they start to develop a relationship with a specific caregiver, you can ease into a more permanent in-home arrangement.

When your loved one is open to the idea of in-home care, get in touch with A Hart Of Pearls Healthcare in Saint Louis, MO. They offer personalized services for elderly and disabled individuals, whether they’re interested in moving to an independent living center or want someone to come to their home. From making meals to driving patients to their doctor’s appointments, an in-home caregiver can make your life easier, and your senior’s life safer. To learn more about their services, visit the website, or call (314) 942-7414.