Aging is a normal part of life. Yet, growing old can carry lingering fears for many seniors. A gradual decline in health, loss of independence and facing the inability to manage one’s activities of daily living are all reasonable qualms experienced by people as they advance into their golden years.

Seniors beset with worries like these are likely to refuse home health care. Denying vulnerabilities helps them to believe they are still young and capable. Adult children who witness an elderly relative struggle understand all too well that home care may be the single best option to ensure safety and security.

When a relative refuses home care, a family member can respond compassionately to their concerns yet ease them into a comfortable situation.

How to handle privacy concerns?

Seniors have legitimate reasons to avoid home care, especially when they expect their privacy to be shattered. Privacy issues revolve around bathing, grooming, dressing and toileting. Receiving assistance with daily tasks like these is extremely personal and takes a caregiver who can respect the senior’s dignity.

Ensure the loved one that an in-home caregiver will take steps to provide as much cover as needed. Examples of discretion include helping the senior to the restroom and stepping out until the caregiver’s assistance is required again. A fitting caregiver will make efforts to look away as the senior dresses.

Discussing with the senior that their privacy will be guarded by home care professionals goes a long way in reducing the fear of privacy invasions. Seniors feel relieved in knowing their caregiving issues will not be revealed to outside parties without their consent.

How to handle mistrust among strangers?

Seniors are apt to have misgivings about people they do not know, and rightly so. Most people prefer the assistance of people with whom they are familiar, like family members or a close friend, rather than a complete stranger. Allowing a stranger into the home can be frightening to many older individuals.

Ease the elderly relative’s trepidations by being present the first few times the caregiver is on duty. Gradually, the unfamiliar face will become a familiar one, someone who can be trusted to handle the personal tasks required by the profession. It is likely, too, that a new caregiver will, over time, become a trusted confidante and family friend, someone whose visits the care recipient looks forward to.

How to handle angst about losing freedom?

Older people relish their independence as much as any other members of the population. Seniors, for instance, are unwilling to give up the keys to their vehicle and the freedom associated with it, even after ongoing challenges to stay alert and responsive on the road.

Concerned family members can tackle this unsafe situation by discussing available transportation options. Let the senior know that someone is willing to drive them to the post office, the doctor’s office, the grocery store and social outings, as much as needed. Transportation services are routine in caregiving scenarios. Inform the loved one that accepting home care assistance is empowering.

Seniors also fear losing other avenues that sustain their independence. Family members can reverse this sense of loss by consulting them about what day they’d like to schedule a doctor’s visit or what time they’d like a caregiver to accompany them on walks. Inform the elderly relatives that home caregivers will help facilitate their wishes—not hinder them.

How to handle fear of losing money?

Many seniors are justifiably protective about their financial affairs. Older people are apt to worry about how to pay for home care, leading them to outrightly refuse such a hefty expense.

Let the senior know that home care is one of the most affordable elder care services available. Home care may be paid for through a variety of means, including retirement benefits, savings, insurance and Medicare. Government assistance is another resource many low-income families utilize to their advantage when funding home care services.

In the end, the bulk of the responsibility of paying for home care falls upon the shoulders of the family members, rather than the senior.

Is expert advice helpful?

Family members may make great efforts to convince an aging relative of the benefits of home care—yet to no avail. Bringing in an outside, professional estimation is likely to sway the senior. A priest, social worker or physician can provide expert opinions to the refusing senior and inevitably influence his or her decision to accept home care.

Home care is beneficial for one primary reason: The service allows the senior to remain at home much longer. The majority of seniors prefer to age in place, in the comfort, familiarity and security of their home environment. If for no other reason, explain that involving home care in the senior’s life gives them the opportunity to live in their own home. The home care solution is much welcomed in comparison to spending years in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Remind the senior that home care is flexible. Respite options and live-in care are among the many service options available. Reputable home care agencies will send over different caregivers if the prior ones fail to be a personality fit. Home care makes the seniors’ comfort level a priority.

Home care services have made great strides in recent years, being designed to help the senior live dignified and at his or her best. One senior care agency that prides itself on exemplary services to the elder population is Assisting Hands Home Care.

Professional caregivers from Assisting Hands Home Care are skilled and trained in providing optimum memory care, personal care, transportation services, companionship and fall prevention services. If your loved one is about to return from a hospital stay, caregivers from assisting hands can provide much-needed at home assistance.

With comprehensive, non-medical elder care services, Assisting Hands Home Care reliably serves the senior populations and their families in the Cook and DuPage Counties of Illinois.