Senior Care News

What Options Do I have? Dad Needs Help Since he had a Heart Attack.

Coping Mechanisms for the Reluctant Elder Care Provider in Floral Park, NY

“One Daughter Coping with Her Decision in Floral Park, NY”

When the call came in, Sara was out running errands. She had three kids, all teenagers now, and it seemed that between soccer practices, school play rehearsals, and even the occasional detention, she was running around like crazy every day. When she got that call from the hospital telling her that her father had a heart attack, she knew that he was going to need some type of elder care when he was released.

She also knew that she would likely be the one to provide elderly health care for him. After all, she had some previous nursing care experience so you didn’t think that it would be a problem for her to do that. She just didn’t really want to because this was her father and she had so many other responsibilities already on her plate.

But, as you kind of expected, when she finally made it to the hospital and saw him, not only was she relieved that he was awake and doing well, he asked for her to be there for him. She tried to explain to him that she didn’t have much time and didn’t know what she’d really be able to do for him, but he looked at her, frightened and alone, and begged her to take care of him. “I just don’t want to think about a stranger coming to my home and taking advantage of me,” he said.

He had some preconceived notions about what professional elder care was like, but neither she nor he knew the truth. She didn’t realize that the vast majority of caregivers are true professionals who have a lot of compassion in their hearts to take care of elderly individuals.

As a reluctant elder care provider, she needed to cope with the decision she made.

Set limits.

You need to establish limits on your time and how much you can devote to the patient. It doesn’t mean you don’t love him or her enough, but she knew that she had other obligations as well.

If you can’t provide the best level of care for them in that short amount of time, seriously you should talk about hiring a professional elderly health care provider.

Stay connected.

Don’t give up on the things that are important to you. If you find that you have to in order to provide elder care, consider other options.

Evaluate the situation weekly.

Continually evaluate the situation every week to determine if it’s enough for the patient, or if it’s time to talk about hiring a professional elder care provider.

If you or an aging loved one are in need of elder care services in Floral Park, NY or the surrounding areas, contact the caring professionals at Star Multi Care Services today at (631)956-8835. We are the Right Choice for Home Health Care Services!

Providing Services to Floral Park, Great Neck, Manhasset, Rockville Center, Plainview, Huntington, Massapequa, Dix Hills, Northport, and Stonybrook

Stephen Sternbach

Recent Posts

Categories

Contact Us About Home Care

Skip to content