Taking care of your aging parents is very difficult and seems like an uphill challenge for most.

As our elderly parents’ needs continue to change and progress, the stress it puts on us as adult children increase to provide the care.

You do not need to be alone in the struggle to care for your elderly parents.

At Alvita Care, we can help and arm you with a list of community-based programs to assist with the emotional and physical toll of being a caregiver to your elderly parents.

In an effort to lessen the burden that caring for your elderly parents takes on you, Alvita Care suggests planning ahead. It is never too early to start planning for the current and future needs of your aging parents, and we suggest including your parents in this discussion. This will also be very helpful if an emergency situation occurs and you need to care for your elderly parents sooner than you expect.

To be the most effective caregiver for your elderly parent, you will need advance directives documents that are a Power of Attorney (this document will give you as the caregiver the ability to handle your elderly parent’s finances and make household decisions for them should they be unable to); Advance Directives (this is a document that specifies what your elderly parent’s wishes are concerning medical care) and an up to date will.

Taking care of yourself is just as important as being the caregiver for your elderly parent. As much as you want to do everything and be everywhere for everyone, this is simply impossible. You need to define what you can and cannot do for your elderly parent. For the parts that are too much to handle, we suggest enlisting the help of relatives and neighbors to care for your elderly parents. To be the primary caregiver of your aging parents is a full-time job, and you will need help. Another suggestion is to sign up for community-based services such as Meals on Wheels or adult daycare programs. This will help ease the burden of the smaller tasks needed to be done for your elderly parent.

Also, taking time for yourself means dedicating alone time for just yourself and spending time with your friends or engaging in activities that make you happy. You need to find an outlet for yourself when you are caring for your elderly parents.

And in the end, laughter is the best medicine. Being the primary home caregiver for your elderly parent is very stressful, and events will occur that are outside of your control. It is important to try and maintain perspective and laugh. It has been scientifically proven that laughter actually improves one’s immune system and circulation, not to mention one’s outlook on life and ability to cope with the impossible.

Alvita Care is here to help with the care of your elderly parent. We can provide regularly scheduled home caregiving support or simple respite care so that you can have the night off and enjoy dinner and a movie with your friends! Contact us, and we can help with caregiving services and provide suggestions for other community-based programs.