What does caring for a parent really involve?

Find out more about the challenges of caring for a parent and how a live-in care arrangement can help them stay in their own home with the support they need.

Caring for a parent can be exceptionally rewarding, and ensuring your mother or father enjoys the quality of life they deserve is likely to be top of your mind.

However, caring for a parent can also be physically taxing, emotionally challenging and has the potential to change the dynamic you’ve grown used to.

In this article, we’ll look at some common challenges of caring for a parent and how you can find the support you need to share the responsibility.

What are the challenges of caring for a parent?

These are some of the difficulties family carers often cite about caring for a parent:

1. Time pressures

You might well have a full-time job and a family of your own to look after.

This makes it tough to allocate your time and could mean giving up something important. It will also mean that your parent needs to schedule their day around you.

2. Physical exertion

Cooking, cleaning and potentially lifting your parent can all take their toll physically.

This could leave you too tired to carry out other tasks and, without proper training, may even exacerbate your own physical health.

3. Complex requirements

Caring for a parent can be complex and can take time to administer effectively.

Understanding doctors’ recommendations, managing medication and adapting care to accommodate specific conditions are just some areas that can prove difficult.

4. Sensitive tasks

Some care tasks are understandably sensitive, which can make things uncomfortable for you or your parent.

This could include physical tasks (such as bathing) or something that challenges you in a different way, like repeatedly explaining who you are to a parent with dementia.

What is the alternative to the family care model?

You might want to think about live-in care as an alternative. This would enable your parent to stay in their cherished family home, but with a care team to provide the level of support they need.

These are some of the ways you and your parent could benefit from live-in care:

24/7 oversight

With live-in care, you don’t need to feel worried or guilty when you’re not at your parent’s side.

The two-member care team will work in shifts to ensure your parent is safe, contented and socially engaged.

Your parent’s day can also be arranged around their own preferences, rather than the windows of time you can dedicate.

Quality time

Live-in care lets you focus on spending quality time with your loved one, rather than on day-to-day tasks.

The team will ensure that your parent has all their nutritional and hygiene-related needs catered for. They will also maintain a clean and welcoming home environment.

This leaves you free to do the things you both enjoy and continue creating happy memories.

Carer expertise

At The Good Care Group, we provide our live-in carers with the professional training needed to set care standards at the highest possible level.

This includes specialist approaches to minimising risk (such as our Falls Management Programme) and to adapting care for specific conditions (including our use of the SPECAL dementia care technique).

Find out more about how live-in care can provide your loved one with an exceptional standard of care companionship by calling on the friendly team at The Good Care Group.