What Can Help an Elderly Loved One Who Wants to Stay Independent?

Elder Care in Springfield VA: What Can Help an Elderly Loved One Who Wants to Stay Independent?

Many elderly loved ones become focused on staying as independent as they can for as long as they possibly can. This can often mean that they refuse the help of others, even when it makes more sense to have that help. Offering your loved one some specific tools can help her to stay more independent.

A Healthy Diet

Food is the fuel that your elderly loved one’s body runs on every day. If she’s not eating the right foods or she’s eating too little or not often enough, her body will suffer. Work with your loved one’s doctor to find the best diet for her and then work with your loved one to put that new eating plan into place. She’ll feel stronger and more able to maintain her independence when she’s properly fueled.

An Exercise Plan

As you did with your loved one’s diet, work with her doctor in order to develop the right exercise plan for her. Your loved one needs to move her body regularly to help keep her joints and muscles limber. As she grows stronger, she’s able to move better and she may find other benefits. Many people who exercise regularly find that they sleep better and that they experience less stress.

Assistive Devices

Your loved one might believe that using assistive devices, like a cane or a walker, make her appear feebler, and keep her old and dependent. In reality, the opposite is true. If your loved one is using assistive devices properly, then she’s not weaker. These devices can actually make her stronger and more independent because she’s able to rely on herself a little more.

Extra Help

It might seem that extra help is exactly what your loved one is trying to avoid by maintaining her independence, and this is partially true. But extra help can take over details such as housework or meal preparation that are more difficult for your elderly loved one to do. Whether it’s elder care providers, you, or other family members helping out, everyone involved can actually contribute to your loved one’s independence.

Work with your loved one to develop a plan that helps her to maintain independence. When you both know the goals, the tools, and the plan, you can all work in the same direction.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Springfield, VA, call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. 703-273-8818

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Michelle DeFilippis

I graduated with a BS degree and had been selling medical equipment to hospitals, clinics and technicians. More recently, a family member was diagnosed with dementia and we, as a family, realized we were not prepared t care for her. We were thrown into that whirlpool of hospital stays, 24/7 live-in care, skilled care, caring for mom ourselves and finally, now daily home care. This was such a stressful time that I started thinking there had to be other people, other families as overwhelmed and unprepared as we were.

Medical Professionals On Call has such a caring, professional staff who are available to step in with whatever level of care necessary for loved ones and to relieve you of that stress.

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