There are many reasons to hire a home caregiver for a senior loved one. Home caregivers can help to relieve you of some of the stresses of caregiving, and can be with your loved one during times when you aren’t available. But home caregivers do more than just provide care – they can actually help to keep seniors safe, too.

4 Ways That a Home Caregiver Can Keep a Senior Safe

A home caregiver is an important and valuable addition to a senior’s life. Not only do caregivers help to keep seniors in their homes for as long as possible, but they contribute to their safety in a number of different ways.

Identify Behavioral and Health Changes

A home caregiver sees your loved one on a regular basis and becomes familiar with what behavior and habits are typical for a senior. Because Cahoon Care strives to ensure that each senior sees the same caregiver on a regular basis – no revolving door policy here! – your loved one can foster a relationship with their caregiver.

This is valuable for a number of different reasons. When a caregiver gets to know a senior well, they can pick up on behavioral changes that may be warning signs of cognitive issues or depression. Plus, when a caregiver is familiar with your loved one’s health, they can spot changes, like a sudden decrease in strength or balance, that may mean a trip to the doctor is in order.

In short, the caregiver can be another person on your team to look for important health or behavioral changes that you should be aware of.

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Monitor a Senior’s Diet

When seniors live alone, their diets may sometimes suffer for a number of reasons:

• Seniors may have difficulty with the physical demands of cooking, and may settle for microwave dinners and poor quality meal solutions, instead.
• Seniors may feel that they can no longer afford fresh, nutritional food.
• Seniors may have difficulty shopping, so keeping their kitchen stocked can become a challenge.

These are challenges that you may not be aware of unless you’re able to visit your loved one regularly, which can be difficult if you live far away.

A home caregiver can help to keep an eye on a senior’s eating habits and overall nutrition. They can look for these signs that a senior may be malnourished, and can alert you and other family members about a significant change in your loved one’s eating habits.

Accompany a Senior to Doctor’s Appointments

It’s difficult to get your loved one to all of their doctor’s appointments, especially if you’re balancing caregiving with a full-time job, a family, or other commitments. A home caregiver can accompany your loved one to doctor’s appointments, acting as an advocate and relaying any important updates to you.

Provide Valuable Social Interaction

Social isolation and corresponding depression frequently affect seniors who are living at home. Because seniors face health and mobility issues that may keep them from their regular outings, they can gradually become more isolated. A home caregiver can help to combat some of that social isolation. Caregivers can accompany seniors to outings and gatherings, but they can also foster a relationship with seniors and participate in activities like reading a book, playing board games, and more.

Thanks to the social interaction that a home caregiver can offer, they can help to reduce feelings of social isolation in seniors, and can also monitor for signs a senior may be developing depression.

We would love to learn more about the senior in your life and how we can help. At Cahoon Care, we offer many different caregiving options. Please contact us today to learn more.

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