Signs that Senior Loved Ones Need Help and 50 Ways Home Care Can Support Family Caregivers

During the holiday season, family members may return for a visit to find that elderly relatives may not be doing as well as they were at the last visit. You may notice a neglected home–perhaps not as clean and sanitary as you remember.  Or your loved one appears to have lost weight from missing meals and poor eating habits.  Some other signs that senior loved ones need help include changes in a relationship with a friend or neighbor (as pointed out by the friend or neighbor), unopened mail, reports of missed appointments, and less participation in activities such as attendance at book club, senior center programs or religious service or programs.

For so many family caregivers, the story is familiar. “I don’t know where to turn for help.” Or, “I’m exhausted. I don’t think I can do this on my own anymore.” Or, “There has to be a better way to care for my loved one.”

These are the words of an untold number of family caregivers who are struggling to provide care and support for loved ones, while at the same time maintaining some balance in their own lives. The good news is there is somewhere to turn for help. You don’t have to do it alone. There’s a way to ensure the independence and safety of your loved ones while still having time for a job, a home, the rest of your family – and yourself.

Home care is an answer many family caregivers are pleasantly surprised to discover. And when they find out the depth of the home care resource, they often say, “I didn’t know home care could do all of that!”

As we continue to observe National Family Caregivers Awareness Month, here are 50 surprising ways non-medical home care can be there for you and your loved ones.

1. Accompaniment to doctor’s visits and other appointments
2. Advice and support for family caregivers
3. Assistance with air travel including airport check-in, ticketing, security/customs and luggage management
4. Assistance with ground transportation for vacations and trips
5. Bathing and personal hygiene assistance
6. Care while family caregivers take a respite break
7. Comfort and company during life transitions, such as after a move or loss of a loved one
8. Company, conversation and companionship through regular visits and activities
9. Continence and toileting care
10. Dog walking
11. Dressing assistance
12. Eating and feeding assistance
13. Engagement and cognition exercises for older adults with dementia
14. Establishing and maintaining routines
15. Game playing
16. Gift wrapping
17. Giving great hugs and support
18. Grocery shopping
19. Hair styling
20. Home organization
21. Laughing and smile making
22. Letter writing and correspondence
23. Light housekeeping and chores
24. Listening to stories
25. Local transportation to recreation, errands, social visits and more
26. Meal preparation, including special diets
27. Medication reminders
28. Memory making
29. Ongoing dementia care
30. Oral hygiene assistance for mouths, gums and dentures
31. Personal mobility and walking assistance
32. Pet care assistance
33. Physical activities for help staying active
34. Picture taking
35. Planning and facilitating activities, recreation and hobbies
36. Post-meal clean-up
37. Post-operative support and assistance
38. Prescription pick up
39. Providing support, relief and peace of mind
40. Safety checks during inclement weather
41. Meal sharing
42. Reinforcing moms when settling in with a new baby
43. Sharing jokes
44. Stair climbing assistance
45. Support during home maintenance visits
46. Symptom checking, monitoring and reporting to prevent hospital readmissions
47. Teaming up to help busy moms balance work, home and play
48. Transferring and posture support
49. Trash removal
50. Washing, drying, folding and/or ironing laundry

How Has Home Care Been There for You?
In many ways, the support home care can provide is limited only by the imagination.   If you’re a family caregiver, we’d love to hear about how home care has supported you in your caregiving journey. And how else it may be able to help family caregivers maintain balance in their lives. What were you surprised to learn home care could do? Share your stories and ideas in the comments!