As parents grow older, their health often declines, and they require more assistance. Many aging adults experience chronic conditions, mobility issues, cognitive decline, or difficulty performing daily self-care tasks.
While aging is inevitable, there are many ways to help elderly parents maintain their health, independence, and quality of life for as long as possible.
Adult children play a vital role in ensuring aging parents stay physically strong, mentally sharp, socially connected, properly nourished, safe, and happy.
Let’s explore seven impactful ways to help aging parents thrive.
1) Nursing Home Care:
More families are considering nursing homes or long-term care facilities as parents require 24/7 supervision and healthcare. While nursing homes provide assistance with medications, meals, bathing, and mobility, it is crucial to pick a high-quality facility that suits your parent’s needs.
Thoroughly research each option, read reviews, visit in person, ask about staffing ratios, and ensure the facility can accommodate medical conditions. Schedule frequent visits to check on your parent’s well-being and care once admitted.
Unfortunately, elder abuse is an often overlooked problem in understaffed nursing homes. Abusive behaviors like physical harm, emotional manipulation, verbal assaults, neglect of needs, or financial exploitation do occur in long-term care settings. Be on the lookout for potential warning signs of nursing home abuse or neglect.
If you suspect your loved one is being mistreated, report concerns to the facility administrator immediately. Most importantly, contact qualified nursing home abuse law firms for guidance if abuse is suspected. They can advise you of legal options to protect your elderly loved one and preserve their rights.
2) Promote Physical Activity:
Lack of exercise accelerates age-related muscle loss and weakness, known as sarcopenia. Yet staying physically active helps seniors maintain strength, mobility, flexibility, balance, bone density, and coordination—reducing their risk of falls and fractures.
Aim for 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise like walking or swimming five days per week. Strength training helps counteract sarcopenia; try light resistance bands, small hand weights, or bodyweight exercises. Yoga improves balance and flexibility.
Dancing gets them moving while uplifting their mood and spirit. Adapt activities to accommodate chronic conditions or physical limitations. Ultimately, any movement benefits overall health.
3) Keep Your Parents Socially Engaged:
Humans are innately social creatures, yet aging adults often face isolation after losing loved ones, driving privileges, or the ability to leave home independently. Loneliness and lack of stimulation take a major toll on mental and physical well-being.
Ensure your parents stay socially engaged through frequent in-person visits, phone calls, video chats, going out into the community when possible, or even having visitors come to them. Schedule shared activities you enjoy together, like games, puzzles, cooking, gardening, reading aloud, looking at old photos, and music—anything to connect.
Companion care services provide socialization for homebound elderly. Adult daycare centers offer social engagement and stimulation through activities.
4) Provide Proper Nutrition:
Aging can make getting adequate nutrition from meals challenging. Various factors, including appetite loss, chewing issues, gastrointestinal problems, low mobility, and a diminished sense of smell and taste, can all affect older people’s ability to maintain a nutritious diet. Focus on the following nutrition tips to support your aging loved ones:
- Prepare soft, moist, nutrient-dense foods that are easy to chew and swallow. Think scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soups, canned fruits, and cooked vegetables.
- Boost flavor with spices, herbs, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic to counteract taste bud changes. Avoid excess salt and sugar.
- Have healthy meals delivered or assist with meal prep. Stock their fridge and pantry with nutritious grab-and-go items.
- Encourage smoothies, shakes, or liquid meal supplements if appetite is low, but avoid overeating. Calorie needs to decrease with age.
- Choose vitamin/mineral supplements to address any nutritional gaps, with the doctor’s approval. Focus on calcium, vitamin D, B12.
- Monitor their weight, energy levels, and nutritional intake for concerning changes warranting diet adjustments.
Proper nutrition is crucial for supporting overall health, strength, energy levels, disease resistance, independence, and quality of life. With some age-appropriate modifications, caregivers can ensure elderly loved ones receive the nourishment they need.
5) Keep the Mind Sharp:
Preserving cognitive function helps seniors retain independence longer while delaying the onset of dementia. Social and sensory stimulation builds cognitive reserve and neural connections.
Play mentally engaging games together like chess, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and word searches, which exercise memory, concentration, and problem-solving. Quizzes and discussions keep the mind analytical. Arts, crafts, music, and reading boost creativity. Set technology challenges to learn new skills like using video chat, smart home devices, or social media.
Physical activity increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain. A healthy diet, quality sleep, stress management, and proper medication use also protect mental acuity. Monitor their cognitive status for early signs of decline, warranting medical evaluation.
6) Ensure Home Safety:
At home, injuries from falls, accidents, or forgotten stoves become more likely as people age. Take measures to make their living space more senior-friendly.
Install grab bars in showers and near toilets for stability when getting up. Use shower chairs and hand-held shower heads. Ensure adequate lighting throughout. Rearrange furniture to clear walking paths. Tack down rugs and remove clutter-tripping hazards. Use non-slip mats in bathrooms. Install an emergency alert system or smart security technology so they can easily call for help.
A daily check-in phone call also works. Lock up medications and toxic cleaners. Conduct a fire safety assessment and install smoke and CO detectors. Routinely check food expiration dates and refrigerator temperature.
7) Discuss Their Healthcare Needs:
Having open and caring discussions about their current health status is vital. Here are some important healthcare topics to address:
- Ask what worries them most about their health or disease progression. Provide reassurance and discuss ways to manage their concerns.
- Review all current medical conditions and medications. Ensure they are taking their medications correctly and understand dosages/timing.
- Attend doctor visits to take notes and ask questions. Help explain things in simple terms after appointments.
- Learn about their treatment preferences — would they want aggressive measures or prefer comfort care? This guides decisions if they cannot speak for themselves.
- Address mobility aid options if falls become likely — canes, walkers, wheelchairs, or medical alert systems. Early adoption increases safety.
Having compassionate yet pragmatic discussions before healthcare decisions becomes urgent and provides helpful insight into their priorities and preferences. This knowledge ultimately assists you in making choices aligned with your wishes. Maintaining open communication about their evolving needs is a gift.
Conclusion:
While aging brings inevitable health declines, supporting elderly parents is one of the most meaningful roles for adult children. Despite limitations, our aging loved ones can continue enjoying purposeful, engaged lives when cared for attentively. With diligent support, many parents thrive in their golden years, continuing to enrich our lives through their wisdom and love. Caring for elderly parents is a privilege, not just a responsibility, that ultimately allows us to honor those who first cared for us.
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