Elderly Care in Lancaster, PA – Looking for an Elderly Care Provider
Even if you’ve agreed to be your parent’s caregiver, you might want to consider looking into hiring an elderly health care provider a few times a week to give yourself a break. However, finding someone outside the family can be a real challenge. Your loved one is likely reluctant to have a stranger care for him or her, so you need to find someone who can relate to him or her. Obviously, you want to hire someone who is kind, but what other traits should you look for in an elderly home care provider? Read on to find out.
Attention to Detail
It’s important for in home care providers to be able to notice when something isn’t right. Seniors don’t see their doctors every day, so it’s up to care providers to be alert to changes in behavior, appearance and diet. If something seems amiss, the caregiver can get the patient in to the doctor’s office early on and keep him or her healthy.
Flexibility
Sometimes schedules don’t go as planned. Maybe the care provider is set to get off work at 5 p.m., but you’re stuck in traffic and won’t be there until 5:15 or so. Is that going to be a problem for your in-home caregiver? Patients with dementia or other cognitive issues cannot be left alone for more than a few minutes, so if the caregiver were to leave, the patient might end up confused or scared. He or she might end up wandering off and put himself or herself in danger. Therefore, it’s good to have a caregiver who understands this and would not leave your loved one in danger.
Passion/Enthusiasm
Let’s face it: caregiving for the elderly is not for everyone. It requires a lot of patience and enthusiasm for seniors and not everyone can exhibit this amount of passion. Elderly care providers must deal with the aging population on a daily basis and this is not an easy task due to the many challenges that senior face. Therefore, a caregiver must love what he or she does and have this passion show. If the caregiver you are interviewing doesn’t seem to enjoy the job and fails to establish a rapport with your loved one, then look elsewhere.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care services in the Lancaster PA area, contact the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Lancaster. Call today at (717)205-2174.
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