Seeing abrupt changes in elderly parents can be an alarming and a difficult experience. Perhaps your mom’s bills are piling up or your dad is neglecting things he once took pride in. Maybe your parents’ poor memory is looking like a radix to something more serious. All of a sudden, the roles you and your parents have played all your life are reversed. Now, you are the caregiver and you are clueless on what to do. In this situation, it’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed.

If you haven’t been in this position before, you probably would be wondering if it’s time to get home care services. However, if the services of a paid caregiver are already acquired, you may be thinking if it’s enough. Sure, these are tough questions to answer. But you must consider them if you are of the view that home is the best place for your parents. Fortunately, there are few steps you can take to aid your parents stay independent. Read on, to know about these tips:

Protect Them from Scams

Monitor their bank accounts and credit card statements. Ask them about questionable payments and balances. Acquire power of attorney if you haven’t already. Become a joint bank account holder and set up online banking to monitor account activity or to receive the statements. Make sure you take every possible step to prevent identity theft and have copies of their credit reports. If your mom or dad have been charitable in the past, chances are they may be inclined to solicitations from various organizations providing social services. Some are legitimate, some are complete scams.

Help your parents develop a plan that will enable them to make donations, but only to organizations that you and they know are bona fide. Monitor their emails with a GPS tracking app. Why? It won’t make you feel uncomfortable. Plus, you won’t have to give them any excuses, since an advanced GPS vehicle tracking software can also monitor emails in complete stealth mode. In case, there are bills to be paid, persuade them to write cheques together. This way you can weed out any dubious email request for cash.

Get Rid of All Home Hazards

One should always keep the risks of slips, trips and falls in mind when older parents are living at home. In fact, falls are one of the biggest dangers for senior people. Each year, between 20 and 30 percent of older adults fall. So it’s important to have a system in place that can deal with these events because prevention is always better than cure. What can you do to protect your elderly parents from falling? The most obvious thing is to remove all hazards from the home.

If your parent’s house is cluttered, offer help to get it organized. Avoid placing any objects that could cause tripping. Area rugs and cords are common culprits. Install lights to brighten up dim hallways and prevent falls from occurring at home. Lighting considerations are vital especially if your parents are suffering from declining eyesight or prone to confusion.

Beware When Sharing Info on Social Sites

Tell your parents to be very careful about sharing personal information on social sites. If a thief or con manages to obtain their name, address, date of birth, social security number, phone number, maiden name or any other personal information that is used to answer security questions, it can prove detrimental. Under no circumstances, your parents should share this information with a stranger. Strongly explain to never give out personal info. Seniors are especially vulnerable to social media scams in which a scammer pretenses as a fundraiser and persuades the victim to share their credit card details.

These impostors can be persuasive, so remind your parents not to give away any personal details to a person they don’t know very well. An ideal solution to monitor your parents’ Facebook Messenger and IM chats with a GPS vehicle tracking software that is used to spy on someone’s cell phone. The GPS tracking app will allow you to keep tabs on their social media activities and IM chats from a distant location. Note down the numbers that seem suspicious to you.

Understand the Source of their Difficulties

Does your father or mother require any assistance with the activities of daily living? If you are nodding yes, then start by understanding the source of their difficulties. Because chances are, there is a product out there that can aid. For instance, if a parent is suffering from early-stage dementia or severe arthritis he or she may face trouble using the stove. Since the reasons are different, the solutions are too. For people with cognitive issues, you can use child-proof locks and appliances that shut down automatically.

Furthermore, you can install sensors around the house to avert a potentially-risky behavior. In case, mobility is the prime issue walk-in tubs or grab bars in the restroom can be of great assistance as they can prevent falls. With these handy solutions, your elderly parents will feel secure at home in the event of a crisis situation.

Give Them an Emergency Response System

While emergency response system cannot prevent slips, trips or falls, having one can be really handy when an elderly parent falls. Personal emergency response systems usually come in the form of wristbands or neck collars. They connect users to a 24/7 call center with just a click of a button.

Most of these systems allow users to speak with call center staff from any corner of their home. Once the emergency button is pushed, the staff at the call center gauges the situation and decide whether to send an ambulance or a designated family member or friend.

Summing Up

It’s good that you care about your elderly parents and have taken steps to keep them safe at home. But sometimes in the middle of everything you forget to call them more often. It’s not necessary to call them when you realize it’s been two months since you last talk to them. You can call them any time to share what’s happening in your life or just to check on them. You probably would be wondering, they can call you anytime they want.

Sure, parents can call their children anytime. But here is the thing, they don’t know your schedule. And they don’t want to disturb you at the wrong time. While others simply don’t want to trouble their kids with their problems. So, take the initiative and give them a call, at least once a week. Even a short call will do the job because all they want is you to care.