Casey Jonson, Managing Director, S&P Care Services
Holiday planning can be enormously stressful, especially for women juggling family packing with work commitments. For those with elderly and ailing parents, however, the guilt associated with heading away on holiday for a couple of weeks can be overwhelming. The concerns are not just about whether a home carer will turn up as planned to provide food, check dressings and oversee medication management but, just as importantly, whether they will provide companionship and make sure the loved one is in good spirits.
But when you get to check on an app that the care visit has happened and tasks are completed, and even view a picture of Mum or Dad eating lunch, both fear and guilt quickly diminish. Casey Jonson, Managing Director, S&P Care Services, explains why real time updates via an electronic care record app are so important in providing families with knowledge and confidence that loved ones are receiving the care they need.
Sandwich Carers
We all know the importance of self-care. You can’t look after others if you don’t look after yourself. But even the best laid plans can be derailed by the overwhelming responsibility of other people’s needs. It can seem easier to stay at home rather than relying on a stranger to provide care for a family member while on holiday. When away, the guilt of worrying about whether a loved one is receiving the right care can destroy the value of any time off.
This problem is affecting an ever-growing number of people. According to Age UK, there are an estimated 1.25 million sandwich carers – those caring for an older relative as well as bringing up a family – in the UK. Well, over two thirds (68%) of these carers are women. Sandwich carers’ ages range from 20s to 60s, but those aged 35-44 are the most likely (35%) to be carers. For these women, balancing the demands of elder care and young families, as well as working, can be overwhelming, especially during the school holidays.
And this care increasingly takes place at home. Older people do not want to be shipped off to a care home: almost three quarters (72%) of people over 75 years old say they reject the idea of moving into a care home and want to stay at home as long as possible. It is better for their physical and mental well-being to remain in familiar surroundings, but their understandable insistence on remaining independent can come at an emotional cost for close family members.
Home Care Support
Many older people feel uneasy about relying on their children or other relatives for care. They worry about being a burden but are also often uncomfortable asking relatives to undertake personal tasks such as help with washing and dressing. Maintaining their dignity is incredibly important. Individuals often do not need full nursing care, but support with personal care, meal preparation or medication administration. For people whose families are not able to visit as often as they would like, older people also need companionship.
Home care strikes a balance. Receiving professional support from a qualified carer in the home helps people retain their independence, remain in their properties, and keep up familiar routines. However, for family members that cannot be close by, even for a couple of weeks on holiday, the fear that routine care is not being adequately provided can be devastating. Plus, with the negative stories about elder abuse making headlines, many women are genuinely fearful of relying on someone else, a stranger, to look after a loved one.
Which is why a care service that provides constant updates through an electronic care record (ECR) can quickly address the guilt and fear associated with leaving a family member for a much needed holiday. A quick check of the app provides information about each visit, including start and end times and geolocation verification, and the list of care tasks completed. This secure, digital version of the care documentation also includes detailed notes, observations, and updates, which approved family members can access in real time.
Emotional Well-Being
These observations are more than just a list of tasks completed. Carers are also mood checkers who can highlight problems such as refusal to eat or changes in mobility. They will notice emotional and mental well-being, such as signs of confusion, sadness or discomfort. And, of course, raise alarms if additional professional input is required from the GP or District Nurse.
The carer can also add pictures to the report to show, for example, what meal was prepared and that it has been eaten. Pictures can be sent to GPs if, for example, skin problems have worsened and require additional treatment. And, of course, carers can share daily updates about the things that really matter, such as an individual’s words about her grandchildren.
The mental wellbeing of older people who are often housebound can be hugely influenced by small acts. A carer that takes the time to stroke the cat and ask how they are. The carer that ensures the bird feeder is regularly topped up so they can enjoy watching the birds, even if they can’t get outside themselves. Good carers are companions. And the ability to share this aspect of the service, as well as the other tasks, is hugely comforting to families, wherever they are.
Conclusion
Managing the decline of elderly relatives is emotional, devastating and draining. But it is also inevitable. Finding a better way to look after family members without being overwhelmed by the sheer weight of responsibility is incredibly important to safeguard women’s health and ensure they have the energy available to support the rest of the family. Real time information about each care visit, including photographs and anecdotes about an individual’s mood, is transformative. It allows women to fully enjoy the brief holiday respite and achieve a guilt-free refresh.