Start by Looking at Your Parent’s Daily Routine

Before deciding whether your parent can continue living at home, take a closer look at what a typical day looks like.

What can your parent still do independently?

What tasks have become harder?

Are there activities that now require assistance?

You may want to consider areas such as:

• Bathing and personal care
• Dressing and grooming
• Meal preparation
• Household chores
• Laundry
• Companionship
• Everyday routines
• Errands and other appropriate activities

The goal isn’t to focus only on what your parent can no longer do. Instead, look at the complete picture.

An aging parent may be able to manage many parts of the day independently while needing assistance with only a few specific tasks.

Is Your Parent Having Difficulty With Personal Care?

Personal care is an important consideration when evaluating whether additional home support may be appropriate.

Your parent may have difficulty getting dressed, bathing, grooming, or completing other personal routines.

These changes can be sensitive for both parents and adult children.

Your parent may feel uncomfortable admitting they need help, while you may feel unsure about how to bring up the subject.

Rather than making assumptions, have a conversation about which activities are becoming more difficult.

If assistance is needed, non-medical home care may provide support with appropriate personal care routines.

What About Meals?

Meal preparation is another area families should consider.

An aging parent may still be able to prepare simple meals but have difficulty planning, preparing, or maintaining regular meal routines.

You may notice that your parent is relying on the same foods repeatedly or asking family members to bring meals.

If preparing meals has become a regular challenge, your family can discuss whether meal preparation assistance could be part of an in-home care arrangement.

Household Tasks Can Also Become More Difficult

Household responsibilities often require physical effort, organization, and regular attention.

Cleaning, laundry, dishes, and other chores may gradually become more difficult for an older adult.

If your parent is leaving household tasks unfinished or relying increasingly on family members, this can be another indication that additional support may be helpful.

Home care can provide assistance with appropriate household routines while your parent continues living at home.

Does Your Parent Spend a Lot of Time Alone?

Living at home can be very different when someone spends most of the day alone.

If your parent has become less socially active, rarely has visitors, or spends long periods without interaction, companionship may be an important consideration.

Companion care can provide conversation and social interaction during the day.

For adult children who cannot visit every day, having a caregiver provide companionship can also add another source of interaction within the home.

How Much Can Family Members Realistically Provide?

This is an important question that families sometimes overlook.

Adult children often want to help their parents as much as possible.

But consider your actual schedule:

• Do you have a full-time job?
• Do you have children?
• Do you live nearby?
• Can you realistically visit several times each week?
• Are you already spending most of your visits completing household tasks or helping with personal routines?

If the answer to these questions suggests that family support is becoming difficult to maintain, additional in-home assistance may be worth exploring.

What If Your Parent Wants to Stay Home?

Your parent’s preference should be part of the conversation.

If your parent strongly prefers to remain at home, the family can explore what type of support could help make that possible.

Home care for aging parents may provide non-medical assistance with personal care, companionship, meal preparation, household routines, and other everyday needs, depending on the care arrangement.

The purpose is not to assume that your parent cannot manage.

Instead, the focus is on identifying where additional assistance may be useful.

When Should You Start Looking Into Home Care?

You don’t necessarily have to wait until your parent is unable to manage at home.

It may be helpful to start researching options when you notice a pattern of changes.

For example, perhaps you’re doing more every time you visit, your parent is struggling with several household routines, or you are increasingly concerned about how they’re managing when you’re not there.

Starting the conversation earlier gives your family time to understand your options.

Home Care for Aging Parents in Scottsdale

River of Life In Home Care AZ provides non-medical in-home care for adults 55 and older in Scottsdale, Mesa, and East Valley, Arizona.

Services can include personal care, companion care, and assistance with everyday routines based on the individual’s care needs.

If your parent wants to continue receiving support at home, exploring home care may be a useful part of your family’s planning process.

Explore Home Care Options for Your Aging Parent