Families living in a different town or state from their aging loved ones often take on the role of long-distance caregivers. To make this responsibility manageable, many adopt effective strategies to ensure their loved ones receive the care they need. For those just beginning this journey, here are 10 practical tips to help make long-distance caregiving both effective and meaningful.
What Is Long-Distance Caregiving?
Long-distance caregiving is defined as providing care for a loved one who lives an hour or more away. These caregivers are unable to provide daily, hands-on care. However, they perform a wide variety of tasks to promote the physical, emotional, financial, and social health of the senior.
Adult children, for example, may coordinate care for an aging parent. They schedule doctors’ appointments, arrange for in-home care, and find dependable sources of transportation. Family caregivers make efforts to stay up to date on the senior’s health and well-being.
Financial management may also be included in long-distance caregiving. Families that undertake this responsibility help the older adult pay bills, do their taxes, and handle other financial affairs. Family caregivers provide emotional support, too, offering to listen and provide compassion.
Handling advanced care planning is another important part of care and is effectively managed by long-distance caregivers. These individuals choose the senior’s health care proxy, also known as a durable power of attorney for health care. Caregivers may also prepare a living will.
What Are Practical Tips for Long-Distance Caregiving?
1. Ask About Care Needs
Long-distance caregivers should start by asking the senior about their care needs. Discuss with the aging person how these needs can be fulfilled from afar. Since care needs often change along with the progression of any existing diseases, hold conversations regularly with the senior via phone or email.
2. Log Care Information
Create a care log and add important health care information. This care log may include the senior’s daily medications, vital signs as well as any changes to their health condition. If medical interventions occur, log them into the document. A care log provides an invaluable record of the senior’s well-being.
3. Identify a Support Network
Identify an informal support network. Ask these individuals for help with providing care to the older adult. Long-distance caregivers might reach out to people in the community, such as relatives, long-time family friends, neighbors, and members of faith or social organizations.
4. Set Up a Shared Calendar
A shared calendar is a useful tool for coordinating long-distance care. Set up the calendar online so that other members of the senior’s support network can access it. Use the shared calendar to schedule care with other caregivers, such as siblings who live nearby.
5. Attend Telehealth Visits
Obtain permission from the senior to attend their telehealth visits. These are medical appointments held remotely with health care providers and is usually done via videoconferencing. Telehealth is beneficial for older adults who have difficulty with mobility or limited access to medical clinics.
6. Introduce Tech
Today’s technology serves as a vital tool in long-distance caregiving. From telehealth appointments to emails, technology helps caregivers and care recipients stay connected. Teach elderly loved ones how to use features of their phone or tablet as well as how to stay safe online.
7. Visit the Senior
Make the most of in-person visits, which may be short. Prior to the visit, ask the senior what they’d like to accomplish at that time. Certain responsibilities can be managed while the long-distance caregiver is in town. Also check with the senior’s primary caregiver to determine care needs.
During the visit, try to incorporate activities unrelated to caregiving. Activities the older adult and caregiver might enjoy include going to a movie, holding a picnic in the park, or simply taking a leisurely drive. Relaxing together and making good memories are beneficial for everyone.
8. Discuss Financials and Legals
Although discussing legal and financial matters is uncomfortable, it is an important part of caregiving. Preparing the paperwork in advance prevents family disagreements and protects family resources. Open discussions about a will, power of attorney, and trust. Also ask the senior about joint ownership.
9. Locate Important Paperwork
Find and securely store the senior’s important paperwork, such as a birth certificate, social security card, and marriage or divorce decrees. Obtain details for the older adult’s bank accounts as well as car, homeowner’s, and medical insurance papers. Review and update the documents as necessary.
10. Arrange for Home Care
Long-distance caregivers should also explore home care agencies. Professional caregivers offer the daily, hands-on care that long-distance caregivers are unable to provide. The supervision of a professional can be a source of comfort to both the elderly individual and their family members.
Of the 34 million Americans who provide care to a loved one, about 15 percent are long-distance caregivers. When you find yourself serving in this role, seek compassionate support from trusted home care professionals, such as those at Assisting Hands Home Care.
Senior Home Care from Assisting Hands
We are a reputable senior home care agency staffed with professional caregivers who are dedicated to promoting the health and independence of the elderly in the comfort of their home. Care responsibilities are non-medical in nature yet fulfill many of seniors’ everyday care needs.
Caregivers shop for fresh groceries, prepare nutritious meals, and serve beverages to promote hydration. We provide respectful assistance with hygiene tasks, such as grooming, bathing, and toileting. Light housekeeping is performed to keep the home clean; clutter is removed to increase home safety.
Specialized care, such as memory care, is available to support seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. We also offer post-surgical care to accelerate recovery at home after a hospital stay. Care options include respite care, 24-hour care, and overnight care, among many others.
Long-distance caregivers place their trust in Assisting Hands’ In-Home Care service serving Las Vegas, Henderson, Paradise, Nevada. Our licensed, bonded, and insured professionals provide compassionate, skilled care to enhance your loved one’s quality of life. To learn more about reliable elder care, schedule a free in-home consultation today by calling (725) 696-9942.
