Parents play a pivotal guiding role in a child’s life, creating the foundation of care indispensable to raising children. They teach them important life lessons, defend them, and make many sacrifices for them without the hope of anything in return.
To honor parents’ existence in our lives, every year on the fourth Sunday in July, two months following Mother’s Day and one month after Father’s Day, we observe National Parents Day.
Caring for Elderly Parents
Aging is an unavoidable aspect of life. As one gets older, the body strength begins to deteriorate, which impacts the elder’s ability to care for themselves, leading to an increase in dependency on their children. This could include anything from aiding them with their every day responsibilities to assisting them with specialized activities such as medicare, grocery shopping, going out to socialize, managing their finances, and so on.
Let’s take the fact with a pinch of salt caring for elderly parents can be a bit challenging especially with the demanding work and home responsibilities that we have. Here are some recommendations that would help you in confronting hurdles and care for your elderly parents while reducing emotional and financial distress.
- Assisting with Day-to-Day Activities
Most elders prefer to look for themselves and do not want to rely on others for assistance. However, as people age, they may develop health complications that make it impossible for them to remain independent. Here is when the older parents may want assistance with their daily duties such as housekeeping, meal preparation, etc.
- Taking Care of Health Problems
The elderly may develop health problems and chronic illnesses, leaving them weak and vulnerable, which needs regular monitoring, medicine, and, in rare cases, emergency intervention. Working children with aging parents at home often find it challenging to be present for them all of the time, and at the same time, they must guarantee that their parents have access to a functional healthcare support system.
- Quality Of life
Taking care of elderly parents requires ensuring them a high quality of life. Elders deserve more than just medical care; they also need comfort and support, community interactions. Working children or those who live away from home, on the other hand, may find it challenging to provide for it leaving the elders with limited conversations. Long-term loneliness can even lead to depression and distress in seniors.
- Emergency Assistance
In addition to providing healthcare and sustaining a high standard of life, caring for elderly parents involves providing emergency assistance, mainly when the elderly parents are bedridden. The situation can become worrisome when immediate aid is required and their children are not around.
- Acknowledge Their Needs
You must pay attention to how your parents look. Failure to follow daily habits such as mobility (getting in and out of bed or a chair) and personal hygiene (dressing, washing, or showering) may indicate depression, dementia, or physical impairments.
- Memory Loss
Memory problems are common as one ages. The side effects of medication or underlying diseases can occasionally lead to memory loss among the elderly. Asking the same questions repetitively, getting lost in familiar locations, and/or becoming confused about time, people, and places are signs that their children must not miss.
- Loss of weight
Sudden loss of weight could indicate that something is wrong. Weight loss might mean a loss of taste or smell, psychological disabilities, or an underlying medical ailment. Your parents may have trouble shopping or have financial worries that prevent them from purchasing medicines and, subsequently, cooking. Besides, weight loss can sometimes signify a severe underlying problem, such as malnutrition, dementia, anxiety, or cancer.
- Walking Hesitancy
Take note of how your parents walk. Are they hesitant to walk long distances or unable to do so? Have they suddenly fallen? Muscle weakness and joint aches, for example, can make it extremely difficult to walk. If your parents are shaky on their feet or don’t wish to walk, that might indicate a potential danger of falling- a leading cause of impairment among seniors.
Parent Care with Gigadocs
Weight loss, moong swings, memory loss, or other signs and symptoms among the elderly could prove fatal in the long run. You can discuss and encourage your parents to attend their regular health check-up appointments.
Children working or studying abroad can avail of expert doctors consultations from anywhere in India on the Gigadocs app on the ParentCare platform. ParentCare offers primary care for their parents in India with medical, healthcare, and errand assistance.
Remind your parents of your concerns to improve their health and well-being. Through ParentCare, Gigadocs not only brings doctors closer to your parents but also allows you to engage in their care actively, although you’re thousands of miles away from India. Gigadocs lets you book digital consultations, whether it’s a first appointment or a second opinion from doctors all over India. You can also save your parent’s prescriptions and healthcare records securely on the Gigadocs app, which you can extend and share with doctors during a Gigadocs teleconsultation.
Download the Gigadocs app from-
IOS App – apple.co/2W2iG4V
Android App – bit.ly/33AQoRC
To know more and schedule a Virtual Consultation demo, e-mail, at info@gigadocs.com
