For many families, events such as Christmas, Easter or birthdays are tinged with concern behind the celebration. Often people with busy lives who don’t live near their parents notice a worrying deterioration in their health when they come to visit. Indeed you can read about some of the changes you should look out for in our article
Warning Signs in Elderly Parents.
Amidst cakes, crackers and loving family cheer, unwelcome questions can also come to mind. Are my parents safe living on their own? Should I take action? And what exactly can I do?
Adapting to Change
Age can be frustrating, but the one thing you can’t do is ignore its consequences. This is difficult because you’ve been used to your parents in a role where they’ve cared for you, but as the years advance that situation is reversed and it’s important to accept that change and act on the needs which arise from it. So what are your options?
Talk it Through
The starting point, no matter what your final decision, is to talk the situation through with your parents. Get them to share their fears so you can tackle them and make sure they spell out exactly what they want from the future. The worst thing you can do is have a ‘family conference’ that decides what to do with Mum and Dad without involving the most important people of all – your parents!
Friends and Family
For many families the support elderly parents need comes from within. Especially when everyone lives nearby and there are helpful friends and neighbours, much can be achieved this way.
You need to make sure this approach is structured and reliable, though. For the elderly to feel happy and secure in their own homes they need to know the support they require is always available, so set up clear rotas for jobs and plan well in advance. You should also make sure their GP is involved so that any medical needs are catered for appropriately.
You may also want to consider moving your parents to a retirement complex where they still have their own property and independence but also have the reassurance of a house manager (in most cases) who can call in and check they are okay as well as an emergency call system if they need urgent assistance. Be aware, however, that the level of support in most retirement complexes is minimal and typical annual charges for maintenance and ground rent exceed £2,000.
Residential Care
If your parents’ needs are more severe then it may be the case that the most sensible option is for them to move into residential care. This is a fairly radical option, though, and means a huge change for your parents in terms of losing independence. The costs are also very considerable so this is not a step to take lightly. Our
Financial Articles provide help with understanding your options for financing care.
In-Home Care
Of growing importance in recent years has been in-home care. Of all the people classed as needing some sort of assistance with day-to-day living, 84% would choose in-home care. This is no surprise because few people wish to lose both their independence and their home. Indeed, studies have shown that people actually experience real and lasting health benefits by staying in their own home as opposed to going into care.
Whilst many families would love to provide this care themselves it is actually very difficult to juggle the demands of modern life and your own family whilst providing the levels of care necessary to keep your parents safe and secure. Indeed often there will be medical issues involved and in these cases professionally trained carers are almost indispensible.
In certain circumstances you may be entitled to care services from local authorities, but in the recent climate of cuts the news has been filled with elderly people distraught that their local authority care has been withdrawn because the new rules mean they are ineligible.
Consequently in many cases your local authority will not be able to help. Even if they do your parents will also be means tested and if their financial situation exceeds certain thresholds they will be expected to meet the costs. You can read more about this in our article
Social Service Funding.
Redefining In-Home Care
This may be the first article you’ve read in the Nobilis Information Library. If not you will know our articles are intended to provide helpful information without any hard sell of our own services. However, we are deeply proud of the care we provide and if you decide in-home care is the best option for your parents we want to take a moment to explain that not all in-home care providers are the same.
Nobilis was created as a response to personal experience of poor in-home care and its entire rationale is about providing outstanding levels of care, tailored exactly to our clients’ needs.
We don’t exist to run through tick lists of jobs and we’re not content with just checking the elderly are okay. We are there to provide trusted companions whose purpose is to make life better. We take time to chat and share a joke and we treat people… like people! Not like a job.
Some key elements in the Nobilis difference are:
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Our carers are paid more than the industry standard to ensure we secure and retain the best staff.
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All our carers are thoroughly vetted and undergo intensive training before they begin work, including training for specialist conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s and palliative care.
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We employ the latest technology to provide an online care portal for our staff, meaning everyone is connected and sharing their experience, advice and needs.
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Our care managers take time to build relationships with clients so we understand your requirements exactly.
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We have established the Nobilis Trusted Partners scheme. This is a network of professionals providing the types of service our clients need, such as legal, financial or medical. This means with Nobilis all your parents’ requirements can be met in the secure knowledge you are dealing with people you can trust.
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Your care plan is just that: yours. You tell us what you need and that’s what we provide, going beyond the more limited care provided by most agencies. We don’t simply wash and clean; if bills need sorting, presents need buying or even if photo albums need arranging, our carers will see to it. This truly is personalised care.
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If our carer finds something unexpected which needs to be dealt with that’s not part of the normal care plan they will take care of it – at our expense.
Your parents are precious and planning
in-home care is one of the most important things you will ever do for them. It’s important to get it right.
If you would like to discuss any issues about caring for your parents we will be happy to take your call. Even if you have no intention of using our services and would like advice about care homes, for instance, please do ring. Deciding how best to help your parents when they are in need is not easy, but friendly, knowledgeable advice is just a phone call away.
Telephone – 0845 680 0225