Caring From Afar

By: Claire Wentz

Helping A Senior Loved One When You Care From Afar

There are nearly 44 million family caregivers in the United States. This does not include those people who receive a paycheck for providing hands-on and medical assistance to seniors and disabled children and adults. Unfortunately, providing care to an aging relative is often accompanied by a complete disruption of the caregiver’s lifestyle. If you find yourself having to make the decision between your family and an aging loved one, keep reading for options. It is entirely possible to be a caregiver, even if you are miles – or states – apart with few changes to your own schedule.

What Is A Caregiver

Caregiver can mean many things. For our purposes, a caregiver is an individual that provides help with daily and medical tasks that help a senior maintain their independence and health. This might include activities of daily living, such as bathing and eating, or help ensuring that a loved one has food and transportation available. Unfortunately, when you care from afar, things are not always simple. 

Security and Socialization

When you are trying to help provide for the needs of someone that is hours away, their security and ability to socialize are often two of the first things that come to mind. These are challenges, there is no way around that, but they are insurmountable obstacles. 

Because isolation is a concern, you might consider talking to your loved one about taking on a roommate. Some people refer to these as “Golden Girl” homes, which is a call back to the mid-’80s sitcom starring Bea Arthur and Betty White, where four senior women live together in a South Florida home. In the television show and in reality, having a roommate is an excellent way to split expenses, enjoy companionship, and have an emergency lookout in case of falls or health issues. 

Even with a roommate, you may want to invest in a medical alert system for your senior loved one. Some of these alert systems are activated with the push of a button, while others offer automatic fall detection. 

Home security is another concern, and, even with a roommate, you will likely feel better if your senior loved one has physical protective measures in place. While there are many home security systems to choose from, ideally, the one you choose will be accessible remotely. This way, you can set their alarm, lock doors, and monitor the perimeter no matter where you are.

Health and Care

If your loved one is getting on up in years and is no longer able to routinely manage their health and self-care needs, you can extend their independence by prioritizing these areas as well. For example, it may be time to look into in-home care with Mel’s Helping Hands to provide help with activities of daily living. Thinking about food Walmart delivers to most metropolitan and suburban areas at no cost for orders of $35 or more. You can have full meals or individual groceries delivered one time or on a regular schedule so that you know that your loved one always has access to fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy snacks. 

When it comes to health, there are tools you can use to help here as well. You can call your loved one daily to do a med check. Similarly, you might set them up with a video-calling service so that you can communicate with one another, or they can engage in video doctor visits for routine issues, such as headaches, minor injuries, and digestive problems. The Philadelphia Inquirer underscores another important benefit of video calling, and that is that this is another way to further stave off isolation, particularly in today’s climate. Facetime, Google Duo, Zoom, and Skype are some we use with our clients 

We live in a digital world, and that has made the actual world feel much smaller. And although there is no substitute for being able to care for your loved one in person, that isn’t always possible. The above ideas are just a few ways to engage in remote care when you have a senior or other family member that needs you, but you can’t physically be there.