Staying close with elderly loved ones is undeniably important, and it’s an easy enough goal to achieve when they live just down the road. Unfortunately, that ease can transform as soon as they enter a care home. Suddenly, they’re further away and in a completely different environment. Before you know it, you may find yourselves growing distant just at the time when your loved one needs your support the most.
This is an eventuality that you’ll want to avoid, but how exactly can you come back together? Well, we’re sorry to say that your relationship might never quite get back to quiet days at home together, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be close. To prove as much, we’ve put together a few options that could help.
# 1 – Set up a Regular Visiting Schedule
There’s nothing more important for staying connected with your loved one than a regular visiting schedule. Now, we’re going to add a disclaimer that these visits may be fewer and further between than you’re used to. That’s inevitable given this new situation, but it’s still important to have a schedule in place. This might look like weekly visits, or even just a few pre-planned visits a month. Knowing when you’ll see each other next, and keeping up with those regular meetups in some form, can really help to keep you close, connected, and very much in one another’s lives.
# 2 – Engage With Staff
You might be surprised to see this point here, but did you know that staying connected with your loved one might also simply mean engaging with their care team? After all, it’s easy to lose track of their well-being when you’re further away and visiting less often. Staying in the staffing loop can offset that, as it ensures that you receive regular updates and that you can take an active part in care decisions. As well as just generally keeping you connected to what’s happening, this level of involvement ensures that you’re more easily able to spot issues such as the potential neglect that can all too easily go unnoticed otherwise. You’ll then be in a far better position to place complaints and even undergo legal processes like nursing home pressure sore claims than you would be if you remained disconnected from this part of your loved one’s new life.
# 3 – Utilize Technology Where Possible
Sometimes, there will be periods where you can’t visit for a while, but it is typically possible to stay connected even then. That’s because we’re living in an age where technology is more advanced than ever. If your loved one is good with tech and mentally able to manage video calls, then this is an especially great way to remain connected even at a distance. You could even chat face-to-face daily this way! Equally, teaching your loved one about tech such as WhatsApp or even just email can ensure a constant level of communication that keeps you close, even with this new distance.
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