A loving family wants the best for each of its members, including the seniors. The family wants each member to feel loved and cared for. For the family’s senior members, this may mean hiring a caregiver to tend to the elderly in their own homes.
But a truly loving family will not stop at hiring a caregiver for their elderly. They should not. Here are the reasons why.
The Presence of Family and Friends is Known to Help in Recovery
There are a lot of reasons why a family might decide to get a caregiver for their elderly. One of those reasons is to help the elderly parent recover from an injury or from surgery (for more details regarding the various in-home medical assistance services we offer, visit our services page).
Did you know that the presence of loving family and friends helps in the recovery of patients? Now, just a disclaimer, this is not yet proven by science. And according to experts, it may even be impossible to prove. But over a hundred doctors and numerous studies and professional observations conclude that there is a link between a speedier recovery and the presence of a patient’s loved ones.
Redford Williams, MD, a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences as well as Psychology and Neuroscience, documented his findings back in 1992. In the document, it was clearly shown that “heart patients with a spouse, a confidant, or both had a 5-year mortality rate of only 18 percent…” The heart patients who had none of both had a 5-year mortality rate of about 50 percent.
There is a connection between mind and body, not necessarily in the mystic, spiritual way but literally. A healthy mind helps towards a healthier body, and vice versa. Another renowned doctor, Stanford professor, and Associate Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Dr. David Spiegel can often be quoted saying, “We are social creatures.”
“Numerous studies have shown that social isolation is associated with increases in all-cause mortality risk to the same degree as smoking or high cholesterol levels… We are social creatures,” Dr. Spiegel continues, “and we manage stressors better when we are not alone with them.”
All this professional lingo says one thing: humans have better health and recovery chances if they support family and friends.
Hiring a caregiver does not solve all the problems of your elderly parents. Even with all the advancements modern medicine has made, it can only do so much. In-home medical assistance will alleviate a lot of pain and burden, but it will be far more effective if the support of the patient’s family is part of the “treatment.”
Caregivers Can Only Do So Much
Although caregivers are given professional training to care for and deal with seniors who are struggling medically, they can’t be expected to provide everything their ward needs. Studies show that caregiving takes a heavy toll.
Professional caregivers have a high risk of suffering from long-term problems, both physical and mental. It makes sense, considering that the job is not easy. It is challenging physically, mentally, and even emotionally. Being exposed to the challenges of old age, dementia, frailty, or in severe cases, depression around the clock will inevitably have adverse effects on even the most resilient people.
When deciding to hire a home care provider, there are two significant reasons why the family wants to do it. The first reason is to help the senior by giving him or her the type of professional care none of the family can provide. The second reason is to help the family by alleviating the challenges of caring for the elderly.
These two reasons show that the family members are not abandoning their beloved elderly parent or grandparent, but rather utilizing every possible option to help the senior. The caregiver should not take the place of the family in the senior’s life. As compassionate as the health care professional may be, they are meant and trained to do professional work. The feeling of a familial touch is on a higher tier than what a caregiver can give.
Make Your Seniors Feel Loved
Getting professional medical assistance for your senior family members is one thing. But letting the professional health care provider take care of your family is another. Make sure that your parents or grandparents still feel connected to their family by doing things with them.
The care that helps at home services offer might improve the seniors’ health, but it is the love, the company, and the support of family and friends that make their lives vibrant and colorful. Seniors who do not work have a lot of time in their hands. Help them make that time as meaningful and as memorable as ever. Spend time with them. Do activities together.
Making your senior family members feel loved will do more good for them than medicines. It will complement the efforts of a healthcare professional in keeping them healthy.
Make your seniors feel loved; in this way, you are helping the senior members of your family be as healthy as they can. You are providing the care which a professional caregiver is limited to give. And this is the best way to show them that their family still loves them.
Are you searching for the best agencies for the elderly in Orange County, California? Do you need compassionate yet professional, full-time home care for your beloved elderly? Infinite Love Homecare is here for you. Respite care, specialized home care, and all manner of elderly care – our services cover everything seniors need.
Contact us for a free consultation at (949)-577-6169 or visit our Contact Us page. For more info on the services we provide, visit our Services webpage.
References:
https://medicine.duke.edu/faculty/redford-b-williams-md
https://heart.bmj.com/content/102/24/2016.full
https://www.theconnection.tv/dr-david-spiegel-ph-d/
