Raleigh, NC -- (SBWire) -- 11/24/2009 -- The holiday season may be one of the few times families get together and realize their elderly loves ones are in deep trouble and need immediate help. Adult children who may not live nearby are often shocked to come home to a holiday heartbreak with deteriorating relatives they weren’t prepared to handle. So this holiday, the family might gather around the kitchen table – not only for turkey and treats - but instead for talk, a big talk, that maps out a plan how to care for ailing, elderly relatives.
“This Thanksgiving and Christmas, thousands of adult children will come home to a sight they never expected to find: Elderly relatives who are lethargic and forgetful. A messy house. Bills piling up. The joy of the season is clouded with the realization that your relatives are suffering and can’t make it alone,” says Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers, the fastest growing provider of in-home care for seniors. “This is often the best time for family members to hash out care solutions everyone agrees on.”
Just ask Paula Peace of Atlanta. Last Thanksgiving and Christmas, Paula and her brother realized their 87- year- old mom, Sally, needed more than just a few presents under the tree. Their mom is legally blind and needed help cooking and bathing. “We saw mom struggling and we knew the best present for her was in-home care,” says Paula. “We could see mom’s deterioration right in front of us.”
Paula encouraged her mom to hire an in-home caregiver from Senior Helpers seven days a week and now the Peaces feel peace. “Senior Helpers has enabled mom to have the support she needs to live safely and independently in her own home. We don’t have to worry or feel guilty. The caregiver turned out to be a holiday present for the entire family,” says Paula.
The Council on Aging offers the Ten Warning Signs Your Older Family Member Needs Help
• Poor eating habits resulting in weight loss, no appetite or missed meals.
• Neglected hygiene - wearing dirty clothes, body odor, neglected nails and teeth.
• Neglected home so it’s not as clean or sanitary as you remember growing up.
• Inappropriate behavior by acting loud, quiet, paranoid or making phone calls at all hours.
• Changed relationship patterns that friends or neighbors have noticed.
• Burns or injuries resulting from weakness, forgetfulness or misuse of alcohol or meds.
• Decreased participation in activities such as attending the senior center, book club or church.
• Scorched pots and pans showing forgetfulness for dinner cooking on the stove
• Unopened mail, newspaper piles, missed appointments
• Mishandled finances such as losing money, paying bills twice or hiding money.
“It’s one thing to all recognize there’s a problem, but then the whole family has to agree on the solution”says Ross. That’s why Senior Helpers advises families to lay out an agenda for a family meeting to reach some kind of peaceful consensus.”
Senior Helpers Guide to Family Planning Meetings:
• The person leading the meeting can be the elderly relative who anticipates needing care in the future. If that person is already needing care, an adult child, friend or relative can lead.
• Encourage discussion and get input from everyone. Make sure everyone makes their feelings known.
• Discuss money. Who will pay? How? If the money is coming from the elderly relative’s estate, who will be executor?
• At the end of the meeting, everyone present must commit to support the plan.
• Write it down. Good intentions are often forgotten over time and family members must have their responsibilities right in front of them.
We can provide a local family and local senior care experts to tell this story. It’s a great piece to put in the can for the holidays.
Contact
Sue Yannello syannello@seniorhelpers.com 919.459.8162
Sean McBride smcbride@seniorhelpers.com 919.459.8161
About Senior Helpers:
Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has 280 franchises in 38 states and offers a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the clients and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care. For more information, please visit: http://www.seniorhelpers.com/.
Holidays Serve As Big Wake up Call That Older Family Members Need Help
Families unite and for the first time realize loved ones are in desperate need