Many are tending to family members from a distance of hundreds of miles. Technology can assist in the long-distance care of aging parents. Few things are more stressful than worrying about aging parents who are far away. Here are some suggestions on how to care for aging parents from a distance. A 2010 Statistics Canada report noted that 40 per cent of caregivers who lived more than a half day’s travel away from their ill parent missed full days of work to help provide care. 6. Thankfully, dad is in excellent health, but he lives alone now. Oct 9, 2014 5:21 PM EST Concern about mom or dad’s health and well-being is top of mind for many baby boomers today. New technology, has enabled children to monitor they’re elderly parents remotely, these devices alert caregivers to potential safety or health problems. Whether you live an hour away or are caregiving for a parent in a different state, stress and guilt take an emotional toll. As much as you want to, you can’t afford to give up your job and uproot your family to care for your senior parents. How to care for your aging parents from a distance Health. Life doesn't offer a lot more emotionally salient or complex than caring for an aging parent. “Become familiar with the neighbours or a house cleaner or something like that,” suggests Whitmarsh. One of the many benefits brought about by technology, has been the ability to provide care from a distance. Living far away from older loved ones can make the need for home care easier to overlook. Long-distance caregiving can mean spending an average of nearly $12,000 each year in care-related expenses. Many aging parents tend to be isolated, because they stop driving, get tired easily or have hearing or vision loss, Steinorth said. Costs range from $200 for one year, $280 for two years or $350 for three years, with a 15 percent discount available to AARP members. How to help your elderly parents from a distance Get help from a trusted source. It's not going to be easy to care for a parent from a distance," Rotondo says. In today’s post, I will go over 5 things you can do to help your elderly parents from a distance. The help from home care services allows you to maintain your relationship while providing the best care possible. When my mom passed away two years ago, my siblings and I stepped up to help take care of my dad. Your guilt fixes nothing. Instead, get to know the people who interact with your aging parents day to day. Find out what you can do to help a family member from afar and make the most of visits. If you live an hour or more away from a parent — or another relative or friend — who needs care, you might wonder what you can do to help. Balancing your own responsibilities while caring for your parents can be a monumental challenge. Invest in a medical alert system and make sure your parents understand how it works. Caring for elderly parents and dealing with the care system when you live in the UK can often be tricky. When we live apart from our loved ones, we often find it challenging to help when we want to be there for them. Whether you’ve been able to drop groceries, medications, spring plants, or mail cards, letters, or Facetime, or send photos or if all you were able to do was to call by phone to check in – it has to be enough. Technology can provide some help when coordinating long-distance care. Five Steps to Help Your Aging Parents . “The frequency of contact is dependent on the type and level of care needed,” says Iris Waichler, MSW, LCSW, and author of “Role Reversal, How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parents.” “It should be a collaborative decision, if possible, rather than a unilateral mandate from the caregiver. Are you struggling with how to care for aging parents while being a full time mom, dad, or employee? An important part of effective caregiving depends on keeping a great deal of information in order and up to date. Seniors can experience mobility concerns and other declines in physicality, which can make daily tasks like personal hygiene and driving difficult. Long-distance caregivers have the same concerns and pressures as local caregivers — and then some. How to Care for Aging Parents from a Distance. But if you’re thousands of miles away the worry of dealing with things remotely can sometimes be overwhelming. How to Help Elderly Parents from a Distance. 3 tips to help care for parents from a distance According to Statistics Canada, one out of every five Canadians over the age of 45 is providing unpaid care for a senior. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t make a meaningful difference in their lives. But addressing these feelings of guilt can help in deciding their experience and impact as a caregiver. Often, long-distance caregivers will need access to a parent’s or relative's … Here are eight tips for taking care of aging parents when you don't live close. You can do the same for their medications from their local or online pharmacy and make sure they come sorted by day in convenient pill packs. Acceptance It is the foremost import thing to do before taking any step towards caring for parents. I lived through this experience as a daughter who lived 8 hours away from her parents. Caregiving for your elderly parents poses an extra challenge if your loved ones are living far away. How to care for elderly parents from a distance It can be tricky when it’s impossible to pop in every day, but there are still lots of things that you can do to ensure they are safe and supported. "Things won't be perfect, and that's OK. ... You just have to accept it and not beat yourself up." To help ease the burden of shopping for your parents, set up home delivery for their groceries. Many long distance caregivers also enlist the aid of geriatric case managers to oversee and help deal with the ongoing medical and financial concerns of their loved ones. If your parents have a computer, set up Skype so you can make video calls. July 28, 2020 Assisting Hands. By Mayo Clinic Staff . Medical alert devices can serve as useful tools to enable aging parents to communicate with family members, healthcare providers, and emergency medical personnel if a medical emergency arises. As people become older and enter their golden years, it is normal for everyday living to become more difficult. This is best discussed long before your parents need help. In areas without these delivery options, or if your parents like to shop but need help, you can use a home care service to take your parents’ shopping, help them with meal planning and list-making, and even prepare meals for the week if they need a hand in the kitchen. MORE ADVICE. The truth is, however, many adult children of senior parents don’t even realize that Mom and Dad need assistance until they come home for a visit or spend prolonged time together during the course of the holidays. Whether you are living an hour away or are trying to take care of your parents in a different state, stress and … However, if you work with caregivers and companions from companies like Green Tree Home Care, … How to Care for Your Aging Parents From a Distance. These professional consultants act as medical, legal and financial advocates for your parents when you can’t be there. It’s not uncommon to live some distance from your parents and elderly relatives. Especially when you have other family demands and work obligations too. Many people find themselves under financial stress, too. Give your loved ones the best care Caring for parents as they age is never easy. Perhaps you live in another city, you’re spread too thin with commitments to your own career or kids, your parents are self-isolating, […] Caring for aging parents from a distance is easier with these tips. Find Caregivers. Here we’ll explore some of the best technology available to help monitoring elderly remotely allowing them some independence. You can also make sure that elderly parents get help during tax season from various federal, state or independent groups that provide free tax assistance to seniors. In addition to the remote access help, Geek Squad tech support also offers free anti-virus software, they cover up to three computers (or other devices), and provide unlimited phone and in-person tech support at any Best Buy store. Whatever you may have been able to do to care for your aging parents from a distance has to be enough. The good news is that with so many of us involved in care from a distance, there’s lots of information to help. Whether you live in a different town, city, province or even country, it can be hard to figure out how to provide them long distance care. 7. Organize legal and financial issues. How to Approach the Subject of Downsizing & Moving with Your Aging Loved Ones. Organizing paperwork is one way that a long-distance caregiver can be a big help. While distance care-giving comes with many challenges, a few helpful tips can make it easier to provide support and care to an aging parent. En español | Eleven percent of family caregivers live an hour or more away from their aging or ailing loved one, according to the "Caregiving in the U.S. 2020" study by AARP and the National Alliance of Caregiving. Today, where everyone is struggling to sustain themselves and their families, it is becoming difficult to stay with your family members 24x7. I have a few tips on how to care for aging parents, even from a distance. How to help elderly parents from a distance? Many long-distance caregivers act as information coordinators, helping aging parents understand the confusing maze of home health aides, insurance benefits, and durable medical equipment. Accordingly, then, open yourself up to God, whatever that might mean to you. Don’t be afraid to talk to your parent about realistic expectations for how you can help. Be sure to with some regularly get down on your knees, or sit comfortably in a quiet place; close your eyes; breathe deeply and slowly; and wait to come over you the peace that surpasses understanding. Yes it these are your parents and I know this means you may have misgivings about having someone else help them. Knowing that help is one button push away can relieve some of the stress of caring for aging parents from a distance and can provide life-saving assistance when needed. Medical alert devices are easy to use, and help can be summoned with the touch of a button. It doesn’t change the curve of the pandemic. 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