With love in their hearts and the best of intentions, many people choose to offer their services, homes, finances, and support when their elderly loved ones aren’t able to live on their own anymore. And while you may have planned on caring for your loved one until the bitter end, many times, this isn’t the reality that people end up living.
If you’re going to start caring for your elderly loved one soon, here are three signs to watch out for that will indicate when you’re ill equipped to take care of your aging loved one anymore and an assisted living or nursing home facility will be the better option.
You Can’t Provide The Level Of Care They Need
The most obvious sign that your loved one needs something different when it comes to their care is if you simply can’t provide the level of care that they need anymore.
For most basic things in elderly care, sons and daughters or family friends can offer the right amount of care. But when someone starts to need 24-hour attention or needs to be lifted in order to be moved, this is usually the type of care that a loved one can’t be expected to give anymore. And by getting the care that your loved one needs, even if it’s not provided by you anymore, you’ll be giving your loved one the best chance at a safe and comfortable life.
Your Own Health Is Failing
Being a caregiver can be very hard work. As any parent will tell you, keeping someone alive and well, even when they’re small, isn’t for the faint of heart. So when you’re helping someone who’s dealing with bigger, adult health issues, you’re going to be putting in ever more work than when you were a parent.
When you’ve given all you have to your aging loved one and don’t have the capacity to even properly care for yourself anymore, it may be time to start looking for additional care options for your loved one. If you’re starting to get sick, hurt, or are struggling mentally or emotionally, you’ll need to get help with this burnout in order to ensure that your loved one is getting the care they need and deserve.
They Are Going Downhill Fast
With an aging loved one, it’s very easy for them to seem fine one day and then take a turn for the worse at almost a moment’s notice. So if this is happening with your loved one, you may want to start looking into end-of-life care that you’re not able to offer but those in medical facilities can give to your loved one.
To help you keep yourself and your loved one healthy and happy while caregiving, consider using the tips mentioned above to recognize when you’ve reached the end of your caregiving capacity.
