Nightingale Homecare offers strategies for encouraging independence in seniors.As the loved ones in your life get older, you may find yourself offering them extra care and support. However, it’s easy to get so caught up in providing for your loved ones that you forget the importance of fostering independence in seniors. A sense of independence and autonomy are essential to holistic wellbeing, especially in older adults. So how can you help the ones you love without stifling autonomy? We’ve gathered our top four tips for providing assistance while encouraging independence in seniors.
1. Communicate Early On
Planning out the kind of assistance you’ll be offering in advance with your loved one shows the senior that you value their input and respect their boundaries. Set aside some time to chat about how much help you can provide, and what sort of assistance the senior is open to receiving. This is a great time to get on the same page about the senior’s changing needs and talk honestly about future plans.
2. Pause Before Helping
It’s possible that the senior loved one in your life might only need help with a task once or twice, or may only need someone to come by the house to assist them very occasionally. Don’t assume that he or she needs intensive assistance all the time. Take a step back and observe your loved one’s needs, and consider discussing them with other members of your family. Be realistic about what the senior can still accomplish unaided in order to preserve his or her independence. Only offer assistance after you’ve taken this inventory.
3. Focus On What the Senior Can Still Do
Realistically, there’s probably still much a senior you love can accomplish by his or her self. Highlighting these skills and abilities is key to preserving independence in seniors while still offering assistance when necessary. Don’t do anything for a loved one that can be done on their own unless he or she is visibly struggling or asks for help.
4. Frame Help as Empowering
Asking for help can be intimidating for many people, especially when it’s paired with the emotional and physical challenges of getting older. Your loved one may feel a sense of embarrassment or shame around needing help, so be sure to frame your assistance in a positive light. Highlight your enthusiasm about helping the senior out, and encourage them to view accepting help as a way to further their own independence.
Nightingale Homecare can connect your family with a compassionate and highly trained caregiver, available to provide as little or as much assistance as the senior in your life requires. We carefully evaluate each senior’s needs during a free in-home assessment to ensure we’re providing just the right services. And we also provide respite care for family caregivers who find themselves in need of assistance as they care for their family member.
To learn more about partnering with a top-rated agency for Phoenix in home care, reach out to us online or give us a call at (602) 504-1555. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have and share with you why we’re the premiere home care agency throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.
