Home Care Assistance Tips for Caring for a Disabled Parent
July 26, 2023
After his stroke, your dad is disabled and requires your around-the-clock care. Many family members find themselves in this situation each year, and it's not an easy one to manage at first. Here are the top home care assistance tips for caring for a disabled parent.
Stay in Physical Shape
When your dad is disabled, you're going to be lifting and transferring him a lot. Stay in the best possible physical shape you can. If needed, get into shape by working with a personal trainer. Upper body strength is especially important.
When you do lift, you want to lift with your legs and not your back. Make sure you lift your dad from a squatting position rather than bent over, which is more likely to cause strain.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Protein is important for building and maintaining muscle. If you're not eating enough protein, your muscles could weaken. Make sure you're eating a balanced diet with the required amount of protein, whole grains, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.
Know Your Limits
If you do not feel physically able to lift your dad, make sure you don't push yourself. It's worse if you strain something and can't offer any care than if you use an assistive device. If you're half of your dad's weight, it could be too much for you to try to lift him. Arrange to have others available to help out.
Use Assistive Devices When Needed
Many assistive devices out there can help you care for your dad. If he has a bathtub/shower combination instead of a shower stall that you can roll a wheelchair into, look into a sliding transfer seat. Position him on the seat and slide him over the edge of the tub while lifting his legs over the side.
A gait belt is helpful when lifting your dad from his bed to his wheelchair. It distributes his weight and lowers the risk of him falling as you move him. A transfer sling is also useful if you need to get him in and out of a car and up and down stairs.
Join a Support Group
Not only is caring for a disabled parent hard on your body, but it's also hard on your mind. Emotional exhaustion is possible. Join a support group and have a chance to vent to others. When you surround yourself with other people who understand what you're going through, it's going to help your mental and emotional health.
Arrange Home Care Services
Use home care assistance to ensure you have time for yourself each week. You can't keep taking care of your dad and ignoring your own self-care needs. You specifically want to ask about respite care.
Respite care is a type of home care assistance where caregivers temporarily take over so that you have time off. Learn more about it by talking to a home care advisor.
If you or your loved one is looking for Home Care Assistance in Redwood City, CA, please call Familiar Surroundings Home Care.
Santa Clara County: (408) 979-9990 in
San Mateo County: (650) 353-9777
Santa Cruz County: (831) 480-3990