Information to Share with Your Parent’s Caregiver

Hiring an elder care provider for your aging loved ones is one of the best ways you can ensure they get the level of care and assistance they need in order to live the quality of life they deserve, especially if you are unable to be with them as much as you would like. This elderly health care services provider acts as an extension of the care you can offer your parents, offering them personalized support that enables them to meet their physical, cognitive, and emotional needs as they age in place throughout their later years.

If you are just preparing to hire an elderly health care services provider for your aging loved ones, it is important that you take the steps to ensure they have as much information as possible about your loved ones so that they can offer the most personalized care possible.

Giving a care provider useful information about your parents before they start caring for them, or as early in the care relationship as possible, helps to connect with your parents on a more personal level, and gives them a better chance at creating an effective and beneficial care plan for your seniors.

Information to Share with Your Parent’s Caregiver

Some of the information you should share with your aging loved ones’ elderly health care services provider includes:

Allergies. A vital piece of information to share with a care provider is any allergies your seniors have, whether they are to food, medications, animals, environmental influences, or topical irritants such as certain detergents. This helps to prevent potentially dangerous situations and can reveal things the care provider needs to do before providing care, such as changing clothes before arrival if they have pets.

Food preferences. Food is linked extremely closely to emotion and identity, making it a great way to start building a connection. Since meal preparation is a service most care providers offer to their clients, knowing their food likes and dislikes is a fantastic way to encourage the care provider to prepare meals and snacks that your parents will enjoy, and suggest recipes they can prepare together.

Favorite activities. Participating in activities together supports a strong relationship while also encouraging better mental, emotional, and physical health for your aging loved ones. Give the care provider a few ideas of things that your parents enjoy doing so that they can plan enjoyable experiences for all of them to do together, and identify hobbies or skills they have in common so they can enjoy them together.

Personal challenges. Telling a care provider about your parents’ physical, cognitive, and medical challenges is an essential part of starting a care relationship, but you should also take the time to tell them about challenges they may experience on a personal level. Things such as phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, emotional triggers, and other personal challenges help the care provider avoid bad situations and support your seniors better if they do encounter these problems.

Contact Sonas for Home Health Care Services in Florida

If you or an aging loved one are considering home health care services in Florida, contact the caring staff at Sonas Home Health Care. Call today (888) 592-5855.

Jillian Miller BSN, RN

Director of Nursing at Sonas Home Health Care

This blog was reviewed by Jillian Miller BSN, RN — Director of Nursing for Sonas Home Health Care’s Tampa Bay market — for clinical accuracy. Jillian Miller has been a nurse for 16 years — working primarily in pediatrics. She believes the best part of working with the pediatric population is when you see smiles from clients when you first enter the room. She loves seeing the difference you can make in families’ lives while providing the best care possible for them.