How to Live with an Elderly Person

Although it is acknowledged that providing an elderly relative with informal assistance can be stressful and burdensome, it is in itself provides lots of benefits as well. We have tried to list down some of the ways or changes you can do as a caregiver for an elderly person:

• Accept the elderly person's decisions. They may be able pick things up if they drop them, clean up well after themselves, such as in the kitchen and bathroom. Offer to do it for them if you can and wait to see if what you saw as an omission was deliberate on their part.
• Distinguish between what can be improved and what cannot be improved in terms of health, functional limitations and mobility. Today many researches have shown that not only can one maintain good health and function up to the last year of life, but that one can reverse certain conditions with physical and mental activities, nutritional supplementation and regular metabolic check.
• Look at the medications with them after getting their consent. List the medicines and the drug interaction warnings, as well as the instructions for taking medicine which requires either fasting, or taking with food, etc.
• Look for the changes in mood or behavior. Often, an older person will not admit that something bothers them or that they are in pain, not sleeping, or having trouble with eating, and these can be indications medical advice.
• Understand special needs in diet, salt intake, and the like. Elderly often have restricted diets, and are tempted just like the rest of us. Watch for sugar and salt specially.
• Give the person respect and privacy as much as you can.
• Beware of scammers and frauds who take undue advantage of older people. This may include con men, salespersons, and people operating under the guise of religious organizations.
• Let the elderly to make his or her own choices in life, and do not substitute your own judgement. Don't assume merely because of advanced age that people cannot manage their own affairs, even if you do not agree with them.
• Understand thier social and economic background, and the historical events the person experienced.
• Help elderly people cope with daily life by large print publications, audio tapes and CD's, loudspeaker telephones and foot warmers available in the market today.
• The more active the person is, often the better their health is overall.