Achieving Peace Of Mind For Elderly Who Live Alone

There are two major factors, when it comes to the issue of achieving peace of mind for the elderly who live alone. You certainly want your loved one to maintain their independence, with the highest degree of security and peace of mind that is possible. In addition if you are the caregiver, or concerned child of a senior, you want to have peace of mind for the times that you are not available to care for your loved one. However, as life progresses the reality is that independence becomes harder and harder to maintain, often leaving children and friends of elderly people, feeling lost about what to do for their loved ones. But the bottom line is that just because a person has grown older does not mean he is ready to give up his hard-won independence. You can both have peace of mind, while allowing your elderly loved one to keep as much of his independence as possible. Here are some steps to take for achieving peace of mind for elderly who live alone.

• Have an open and honest discussion with your elderly loved one-It is crucial that you share your feelings with your elderly loved one, and listen to their concerns as well. You want to make sure that the conversation is as non-confrontational as possible. Be sure to focus the dialogue on how you feel thing are going, as opposed to what you think your elderly loved should be doing. Try to lovingly bring up your worries and fears about their future.
  
  
• Do an assessment of your elderly loved one’s needs-When you do the assessment you will want to make sure that you include your senior in the process. You will want to make sure that you do not leave him or her, with the feeling that you are taking over his life, but you want to make sure he is actually going to be able to live alone. The bottom line is that while total independence is certainly laudable, at some point it may no longer be feasible.
  
  
• Purchase the needed items to help your senior-There are a variety of items that can provide peace of mind for the elderly who are living alone. Amplified telephones that announce the caller’s number, can give the elderly the communication gateway they need to live alone. There are also a wide variety of alarms, and alert systems, that will provide you and your loved one, with the peace of mind of knowing that should something happen, or be wrong emergency help can be notified right away. At Caregiverpartnership.com they provide a wide variety of items to choose from that will best fit your senior’s needs and provide the peace of mind that both of you are looking for.
  
  
• Create an information file-It can be helpful to list information on the elderly person's doctor, medications, recent hospitalizations, and friends or relative, near him whom you can contact in case of an emergency. In addition, important financial and legal information, especially a living will, power of attorney, and Social Security number, should be on hand in case decisions need to be made in a hurry.
  
• Make yourself familiar with the resources that are available in the elderly person’s area-This is especially critical if you do not live in the same area. It can also be helpful to have a copy of the local phone book for the area that your elderly loved one lives in. This way you can contact help even if you are at some distance away from your loved one.
  
  
  
• Be realistic in your assessment of abilities-While many people can continue to live independent lives for quite awhile things can change quickly. If you find the needs of your senior loved one have changed then reviewing different products to help in the task of everyday living may be necessary. At Caregiverpartnership.com they can help guide you in finding the products you need to help your loved live independently, and with the highest degree of peace of mind possible. 

About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their loved ones with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wis. Visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.

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