Talking to your loved one about home care

We’ve got some great tips to help when talking to your loved one about home care.

Many older people will refuse to admit when they could do with some help.  They don’t like to acknowledge that they are struggling, and they often have a fear of losing all independence.  Or even worse, they fear becoming a burden to you.

These tips will help your broach this often difficult subject when it comes to talking about home care with your loved one.

– You might want to avoid using the terms “care” or “carer”.  Instead, you could try referring to a carer as a “personal assistant” there to provide help.

 

– Avoid focussing the conversation with your loved one on what things they “struggle with”.  Instead give examples of how much “easier” and “nicer” things would be having someone there to help!  Focus on the positives and benefits of having home care.

 

– Make the effort to bond with your loved one’s carers, especially when in front of your loved one. You want your loved one to see the carers as “friends”.  Plus it will only help if you form good relationships with the carers yourself.  This can rub off onto your loved one and positively influence and help build a good relationship with their carers.

 

– Involve your loved one as much as possible in the process of arranging for home care.  Ask them questions on their thoughts and opinions.  It will only help if the decisions made are their own, rather than being your decisions enforced on them.

 

– Talk about other people that receive home care.  Reassure your loved one that there is nothing “wrong” with receiving care, and that many people are receiving it.  Give examples of others’ positive experiences, emphasising how much having home care enriched their lives.  Make them feel more comfortable with the idea by normalising it and letting them know how common it is.

 

– Keep the conversation light and casual.  Don’t treat it like a big deal.  You want your loved one to feel relaxed about the idea.

 

– Don’t forget to involve other relevant family members or friends in the discussion too.  You want to make sure that everyone is in agreement and on the same page.  You don’t want to surprise other family members unexpectedly by just arranging home care without their knowledge or involvement.  And just like how it is important to try and involve your loved one in the decision-making process, it is equally important to involve the rest of the family too. This can also go a long way in gaining their cooperation and approval.

 

Talking with your loved one about home care isn’t always easy, but if you keep these tips in mind, the conversation will be a lot easier.

 

At Kells Domiciliary, we have over 30 years experience of providing a high quality level of loving care, and we take pride in our high standards.  If you would like to chat about how we can tailor our home care services to help you, please get in touch!