Can Mom Keep Her Dignity Even If She Needs Long-Term Care?

Making the decision to get help with the care of your elderly parent is a big and important step. For many people, the real challenge comes with understanding the range of long-term care options, while maintaining Mom’s dignity and quality of life.

As we age, a number of factors begin to impact our ability to live autonomously. Illnesses such as dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, or a stroke, can affect just how much a person can do alone on a daily basis, and the unfortunate truth is that even with the right medication and treatment, many of the symptoms associated with aging will worsen over time.

Some families realize very early on that they need help with the caregiving of an elderly relative, while others may put off the decision for fear of affecting their mom or dad's dignity or quality of life.

It is important to know that it is okay to seek help when you need it. In fact, it's very important for your own health, to make sure you get the support you need. This in turn will benefit your parent, too.

You might feel that you are somehow letting your mom down, or that seeking help will affect your mom's pride. It might be that she has expressed reluctance about receiving care, and your desire to respect her wishes has meant that you have tried to take on the role of caregiver yourself. While it's absolutely vital to respect your mom's wishes when it comes to her care plan, when you know, deep down, that the next level of care is urgently needed, it is time to take action.

Choosing the Right Care Option for your Elderly Parent

Once you realize that you now need to implement a plan for long-term care, the next step will be getting your mom or dad to realize it too (if they are well enough to understand the concept), and for both of you to discover the best way to get help without compromising Mom’s independence.

Promoting dignity in the care of the elderly is absolutely vital, and it will undoubtedly be at the forefront of your decision-making when choosing the best care available.

For most elderly people, the idea of having to leave their own home to enter an assisted living facility is a terrifying and unpleasant prospect. Disruption to routine, adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings, and the loss of independence, are all understandable fears that could negatively impact your mom's physical or mental health. This option can also be expensive, so it is not always feasible.

However, it is also possible for your mom to receive in a community, long-term care at home. Depending on the stage of and nature of her illness, and the level of her mobility or cognitive issues, there are different Home Care services available that will mean your mom can live at home with the dignity and sense of independence she deserves.

How Home Care Maintains Mom’s Dignity While Providing the Care She Needs

Implementing Home Care can be an empowering solution for both the client who needs the care, and the family members who have been struggling to keep up with the increasing demands of a deteriorating illness. Here are just a few ways in which hiring a Home Care company can give you the help you need while ensuring Mom keeps her dignity.

• With a few home adaptations and a clear care plan, a Home Care aide can let you get back to enjoying your relationship with your mom outside of the care you have been providing. You will be secure in the knowledge that she is safe, and not left alone when you can't be there, but Mom will no longer feel like a burden on you as a caregiver.
  
  
• Mom can continue to participate in her own community events. And, with appropriate help she will no longer have to rely on you, or other family members, to help with day-to-day tasks.
  
  
• A Home Care aide can provide many levels of assistance that can be adapted over time, so if Mom’s condition deteriorates, the introduction of further assistance will be gradual.
  
  
• Home Care companies can provide many different types of services including personal care, such as bathing, or getting dressed, help with light housework, or accompanying your mom on trips to the grocery store or place of worship. This means Mom can go about her daily activities as before, so she won’t have to feel like she is limited in what she can and can’t do.
  
  
• If your mom has mobility issues, and you are worried that she is no longer safe living alone in her own home, a Home Care aide can be there at specific times of the day to provide supervision for more physical activities such as bathing.
  
  
• Home Care aides can also provide essential companionship for elderly people who have withdrawn from their social activities due to being less mobile, so your mom can feel like she is still socially active.
  
  
• As your mom's needs increase over time, a live-in Home Care aide can continue to provide all of the above supports, day and night, at your mom's home. For your mom, this may feel like a more dignified way to receive support than having to move in with a loved one, moving to an assisted living facility, or having one of her adult children care for her on a full-time basis.

Even asking the question: “How can I preserve my mom's dignity?”, means you are considering the important aspects of her ongoing care. Finding a Home Care provider with the same dedication to respectful, dignified care for your mom, is the next step in her life of continued independence.

To find out how Ezra Home Care can provide the assistance your elderly parent needs while maintaining her dignity, contact our compassionate and experienced team.