Privacy Issues – Can Caregivers and Families Go Too Far? Part 2

For instance, your dad forgot to pay his electric bill and the power gets shut off. You have to do something because he most certainly cannot get by without electricity. There is a way to do this without making him feel that he has lost control of his life.

What you do not want to do is say something like, “You are unfit to handle these things any longer!” That could make him upset. Waichler has better advice. Work with your dad to come up with a decision together. Have him help you figure a way that the problem can be avoided in the future and let him know you are there to collaborate with him to make the situation better. Do not try to control or reprimand him.

Dignity and Respect

Every human deserves dignity and respect. That, according to the Department of Social and Health Services in Washington, does not change when an individual becomes ill or disabled. For these people, the need for dignity and respect grows more.

Whether your loved one can manage life independently but needs daily assistance with bathing and dressing or something more, you must work to respect their dignity as well as privacy.

The Washington DSHS offers even more steps which you can actively take to support a loved one’s needs for emotional or physical privacy:

Let your loved one have control over the small things or the things they have always done for themselves. If dad can, let him tell everyone when he wants to have his meals.

If they are able, always get their permission before you talk about confidential things with other family members or nursing staff or caregivers.

Never dismiss a choice your family member has made even if it seems silly. Find out why the choice was important to them.

Always knock before opening a door, even for a room where someone is bedridden.

If a family member continuously makes dangerous decisions like forgoing a medication they need, gently negotiate the matter with them. Explain why the medication is so important. Ask if they would like to try it with a favorite snack of theirs if their diet permits it. If bath time is a problem, arrange for fewer of them. If they want to go for walks but cannot manage alone, arrange for a companion to go with them.

When you take on more to care for a loved one, they lose more in terms of independence. When you can understand this, it helps you be more respectful and lessens frustrations between you two. Bloom suggests that you work together to communicate and listen from a place of understanding and not from fear. Caregivers assume they know what is best for a loved one, but always let the one being cared for participate in approving these things.

Should you have a loved one that needs the proper attention, or have any questions about care, we at Assisting Hands are here to help; call or contact us immediately to help your loved ones today. Click here to go back to the first article in this series.