Elderly Care in Durham NC

Starting elderly care for your aging parent is one of the best decisions that you can make as a family caregiver. An elderly home care services provider is not just about providing extensive physical support and assistance to handle medical conditions and health problems. While these types of services can be beneficial for your parent, this personalized approach to care can further enhance their lives by addressing issues that might limit their mental and emotional health. For many elderly adults, not being able to manage their usual daily tasks and demands can make them feel as though they have lost control over their life, their independence, and their autonomy. This can be stressful and lead to depression, anxiety, and loss of motivation. An elderly home care services provider, however, can help them to keep up with their activities of daily living in such a way that they feel more independent and in control.

There are many ways that a care provider can accomplish this. One is by helping them do the dishes. This is something that most people do daily and do not even think about because it is such routine. Your parent, however, might be dealing with a wide variety of limitations and challenges that could make this task far more difficult for them. With the help of a care provider, your parent can keep their kitchen safer, healthier, and more functional while avoiding possible injury or other issues.

Some of the ways that an elderly home care services provider can help your parent manage the task of doing their dishes include:

Rinsing. One of the issues that comes along with dishes being dirty is that they can breed bacteria quite quickly. A care provider can help your parent remember to rinse dishes as soon as they use them so that they can remove food particles and residue that can develop this bacteria and mold the quickest. Often when your parent goes through the process of rinsing, they will be motivated to go forward with the full washing process.
Dividing the job. Splitting the task of washing and drying the dishes can be beneficial in multiple ways. Not only does this allow your parent to only take on one part of the task while the care provider handles the other, saving time and effort, but it also gives them a social opportunity. Social engagement, talking, and sharing boost mental and emotional health.
Putting dishes away. Reaching, bending, and lifting might be challenging maneuvers for your aging parent if they deal with mobility issues. A care provider can handle these tasks for your parent to help them avoid the risks that can come with trying to do these movements on their own.
Keeping the area clean. One risk that might not immediately occur to you is water and soap getting on the floor while washing the dishes. This can increase your parent’s fall risk, putting them in danger of potentially serious injuries. A care provider can help ensure that the floor around the sink or the dishwasher stays dry and clean so that your parent is not at this level of risk while washing their dishes or after.