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Practical Tips When Caring for Our Elders

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If you are a caretaker of an elderly person, help is here.

  1. Learn where help is available:
    • The Administration on Aging offers many services such as fall prevention, aging and disability programs, brain, oral, and behavioral health programs, elder abuse prevention, legal assistance, and retirement planning, and has chapters in most of the U.S. Find AoA services in your area.
    • The FDA offers services to help the elderly manage their prescriptions and has resources to help reduce the costs of medications.
    • If Social Security benefits were gained through lower-paying jobs and these are their only source of income, the person in your care may qualify for the SSI program. Supplemental Security Income is a need-based program for seniors and the disabled, so applicants must meet certain requirements.
  2. Here are eight tips on how you can check on your loved ones often if you are not able to be with them in person.
  3. Realize things will change as life and time go on, so cherish every moment.
  4. Additional caretakers, as well as healthcare professionals, will be grateful for your showing them your appreciation! 
  5. Here are tips to shop safely.
  6. You may be able to receive financial compensation for caretaking. See the four steps, and then see if you are eligible.
  7. You can be creative with how you visit elderly and immunocompromised family members who are not in your home, especially during a pandemic. In addition to calling, skyping, Facetime, etc., people have been spotted renting cranes to see their family members on the upper levels of nursing homes and waving signs outside windows. Though you don’t have to rent a crane, the most important thing is to show your family members you care while prioritizing their safety.
  8. If your loved one was a uniformed service member, veteran, or veteran’s dependent or surviving spouse, s/he can receive benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
  9. If your loved one lives in a nursing home, make sure the facility is taking proper precautions to ensure the residents’ safety. If not, and if your situation allows it, consider bringing your loved one into your home to avoid potential infection.
  10. Capture family memories and document your legacy. You will be grateful you did.

By Elizabeth Troutman