Aging might not always be easy, but it’s unavoidable. We’re all aging every day, so when it comes to taking care of an elderly parent, kindness, compassion and empathy, are powerful tools— not only for your aging mom— but also for you. When you are caring for an elderly mother, helping her feel confident, empowered and in control of her life can have a huge impact on her overall well-being and quality of life.
This Mother’s Day, we honor all the aging moms out there—and all of you who are taking care of an elderly mom—by providing you with some helpful tips and advice to empower your mom to keep doing what she loves, on her own terms.
Be A Good Listener
When you are taking care of an elderly mom, it can be easy to become a little pushy about what you think is best for her. But being open to her opinion can turn a fight into a conversation and save you both a lot of heartache and stress. Part of what makes people so resistant to aging is feeling as though they are losing their autonomy, but encouraging your aging mom to be independent about how she wants to grow older and allowing her to participate in decisions that are being made on her behalf will keep her feeling happy and empowered.
Support Her Hobbies—Old And New
As we age, the body can’t always keep up with the mind, which can make it scary to encourage our aging mom to explore new hobbies, but it’s been proven that participating in activities you enjoy can help promote healthy aging. Hobbies can keep your aging mom engaged and on-the-go, which can have emotional, cognitive and physical benefits. If you’re taking care of an elderly mom who doesn’t have many hobbies, it would be worth nudging her in that direction, as it can help ward off feelings of isolation, depression, and anxiety and keep her happier at home.
Invest In Help At Home
Caring for an elderly mother can be a full-time job, especially once mom has experienced some sort of medical emergency. Making the investment in having extra help at home will take the pressure off of you to be there 24/7. Whether you bring in a trusted home health care service, or purchase a medical alert system, you will give mom an extra layer of protection when you can’t be there to help her (including nights and working hours).
Consider The Unexpected
Many of our Medical Guardian clients purchase a medical alert system for their mothers, and have been so happy that they did. Although you can’t ever know what the future holds, having a little bit of a safety net can help keep your aging mom live a life without limits:
“My mother-in-law lives by herself and we were afraid that something would happen to her without us knowing. The device was extremely useful a few nights ago when they called us about my mother-in-law. We were able to contact her and the support staff helped us call an ambulance to take her to the hospital. The alert and response were very quick.”
-Margaret E.
“I got it for my mother in law who is 93 years old. We've only had to use it once and it actually saved her life. She fell in her garage and broke both her hip and her wrists. She was able to use the button and they were very prompt about responding and getting the paramedics out to help her. They also called me as I was her emergency contact and I was able to go over as well. She ended up needing a hip replacement but has been doing well since.”
-Hazel B.
“I have to take care of my mother who is 93 years old. I'm in my seventies so it's a really good thing to have around. She usually has it around her neck and if we ever need it, all we have to do is grab the button and push it to get help. We've had to use it 3 times already. On one occasion my mother fell out of bed and hit her head so bad that it split and she started bleeding. They responded right away and asked us if we needed help. Someone got here quickly and helped us. I'm glad we have it here, it gives us security.”
-Diane I.
“We bought it for my mother-in-law and my mother, so far we had an excellent experience with Medical Guardian. My mother fell and broke her neck; she pressed the button and they called us like in less than five minutes, and the second time that we had used it was when she broke her knee, same history, fast and really efficient. Is a really simple device for the elderly people, simple to use in every way.”
-Rita K.
