How to Care for Elderly Grandparents

Many adults are faced with taking care of their elderly grandparents, which places a heavy responsibility on the caregiver, especially when grandparents are diagnosed with draining diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer's. There are elder care facilities and nursing homes where the elderly are offered care; however, some adult children choose to continue caring for elder grandparents in their own homes. If you choose to care for your elderly grandparents, you will experience the satisfaction of always knowing they are safely cared for in your home, even though their total care may overwhelm you at times.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify the needs of your grandparents before moving them into your home. People age with differing mental faculty awareness. Study and ask for medical advice if your elderly grandparents suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. If they do, monitor their movements at all times. Decreasing mental awareness, increasing forgetfulness and confusion are major symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. Hire an attendant to perform watchful maintenance as Alzheimer's patients do wander off at ill-opportune moments. A social worker's evaluation may indicate that full-time nursing aide care is necessary for your grandparents in your home on 12-hour shifts. The Department of Medicaid Services may pay for an attendant to help care for your grandparents stay in your home, if they meet financial eligibility requirements.

• 2

  Grandchildren care for elderly grandparents who may be suffering from dementia.

  Use tact in caring for elderly grandparents in your family home. Set clear limits to prevent disruption of your immediate familial obligations. Hire an attendant, with input from a social worker, to help you care for your grandparents. This care can be arranged on a part-time basis.

• 3

  You may have to spoon-feed your grandparents when they cannot feed themselves.

  Set up a written schedule that covers morning and afternoon Activities of Daily Living as you provide elder care. Prepare meals and arrange to feed your grandparents if they are unable to feed themselves. Set up a schedule for dispensing medication. Give them baths. Take care of their other hygiene needs. Help them to dress if needed. Prepare clean changes of clothing. Monitor dental needs, the lack of which causes nutritional problems in the elderly, and arrange for necessary dental care. Change their adult diapers frequently, if they are suffering from incontinence. Schedule a walking exercise program or take your elderly grandparents outside for fresh air exposure if they are wheelchair bound. Use plenty of lotion to moisturize their skin. Dry skin is a dermatology condition that affects many elderly people.

• 4

  Grandchildren love outings with grandparents who shower them with love.

  Arrange with siblings and other family members to help in the care of your grandparents. Ask your young children to spend some time with their great grandparents and even steer their wheelchairs outdoors if they are wheelchair bound. Be mindful that there should be an adult within eye distance of children transporting their great grandparents while they are seated in a wheelchair. Fun can become a tragedy when Grandma is suddenly going downhill all alone while seated in a runaway wheelchair. Stay alert, or have your attendant minder stay alert, when young children are offering fun-filled moments for their aged family members.

• 5

  Grandma should be encouraged to continue cooking and baking.

  Arrange for your grandparents to spend time at a senior center or register them in an adult day care facility, if that is a better alternative. Find an Alzheimer's Day Care program that provides group activities for patients who are closely supervised.

  Give your grandparents responsibilities at home. Allow your grandmother to continue baking bread and to cook meals if she wants to do that. Encourage activities that enhance her feeling of self-worth. Take your grandfather for a day of fishing as a group activity for the entire family.

  Thriving is an important goal for your grandparents to maintain. Involve them in atmospheres of Adult Day Care and Senior Citizen Centers, which provide recreational and exercise opportunities as well as dancing and other social activities. Most senior citizens' centers are open throughout the day. Give yourself needed respite and take advantage of these services.

• 6

  Make arrangements to have your grandparents picked up from home for doctors' visits and brought back home later right at your door. Use senior centers or city transportation services to take your grandparents to and from day care center programs. You should make travel arrangements when you first sign up elder family members to participate in day care programs. Most states in America provide transportation for elderly citizens at a small cost to the consumer. Ask other family members to also help by taking your grandparents to the doctor.

• 7

  Prepare ahead to keep your elderly family members occupied. Mental awareness and physical activity will contribute to their contentment in their waning years. It is not a life of drudgery when you take care of your elderly grandparents. Planning is the keyword.