10 Tips to Help Improve Senior Care near Deerfield, IL

If you are providing senior care for someone, you want it to be the best it can be. No matter whether you are part of a professional senior health care services agency or you’re in independent caregiver, there are a number of tips that you can use that can improve the quality of care for the patient.

 

Below are ten tips that may help you improve overall senior care for the patient in your charge.

1. Accept that you can’t be perfect.

Too often people enter into caregiving with the expectation that they’re going to be perfect at it. They think that the patient is going to respond perfectly to them and that everything is going to work out as planned. This isn’t going to happen. It doesn’t matter whether you are a new senior care provider or an experienced caregiver.

2. Let go of the guilt.

Guilt will do one thing and one thing only: tear you down. No matter why you feel guilty over a decision you made or something that happened, learn to let it go as soon as possible.

3. Forgiveness is ideal.

When someone hurts you or you hurt someone, forgiveness is the best remedy. It’s also important to forgive yourself for mistakes that you may have made with regard to senior care.

4. Learn to apologize.

When you do something wrong, learn to apologize. It may not be a strong character trait within you, but when you are working with the elderly patient who requires senior care, apologizing can go a long way.

5. Don’t give up on yourself.

Just because you are providing senior health care services for someone, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your own life and interests. Keep your hobbies and activities intact. If you can’t do both, then consider hiring or asking for assistance.

6. Encourage the patient to avoid self-pity.

Being grateful for the things that you have is one of the best ways to avoid feeling sorry for yourself. If the patient doesn’t think that he or she has anything to be grateful for, remind them of all that they do have.

7. Respect.

Whether you are caring for an elderly parent or a stranger, they deserve respect. Give it to them. And don’t forget it.

8. Accept that there are things you cannot change.

Too often we get hung up on the idea that we can change the world, or at least the world around us. Some things just cannot be changed and we need to learn to accept them.

9. Allow yourself to feel frustration and anger.

There are going to be times when you are frustrated and angry with yourself, the patient, or the circumstances. Accept these feelings and allow yourself to have them without feeling guilty. Control any outburst, though.

10. Listen.

When you think you know best, you tend to shut off your ears and don’t listen to what the patient is trying to say. Always remember to stop and listen to what the patient is trying to tell you. They might know a thing or two about their senior care needs.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior home care near Deerfield  IL -contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our senior care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.

 

Jamie Shapiro