Communication Is the Cornerstone of a Great Home Care Relationship

There are many things that go into building a great relationship. Communication is one of them. When you’re talking about a relationship between an elderly individual and a home care aide, communication is the cornerstone to building a great relationship.

It’s a two-way street.

Senior Care in Alexandria VA: Communication Is the Cornerstone of a Great Home Care Relationship

We’ve all heard about how communication is a two-way street. However, how many of us actually think about that daily? Probably not too many.

We understand the importance of communication and being willing and able to listen to somebody else, but far more often, especially in today’s politically charged environment, we have a tendency to close ourselves off to other ideas and ideologies. Yet, communication needs to remain open for both people to have a sense that they are truly in a good relationship.

That means a home care aide will be able to communicate effectively certain strategies that can benefit the elderly client, but will also be willing to listen. The senior also needs to be willing to listen to what the home care aide has to say. If that elderly client is entering this working, professional relationship unwillingly, it’s probably going to negatively impact their ability to communicate effectively.

What happens if the senior is unaccepting?

If the senior doesn’t accept home care support and is being forced to rely upon this by family members who think they know what’s best, it can create a lot of tension, not just in the relationships with those family members, but with the professional caregiver, too.

The senior has every right to determine the course of his or her care and life. The best thing a family can do when a senior refuses to even consider home care support services is to focus on the challenges and limitations they’re facing and the benefits of home care services.

The caregiver must be compassionate.

In order to communicate effectively in this type of relationship, the caregiver needs to be compassionate. He or she needs to have a true sense of compassion for this elderly individual. They need to be empathetic and understand the challenges and fears he or she faces, not just every once in a while, but potentially daily.

The more support that is behind the caregiver, the better.

This is one of the reasons why it’s so beneficial to rely on a caregiver from an agency rather than an independent caregiver. The more support that home care aide has behind him or her, the easier it will be for the senior to deal with poor communication or other challenges.

It also means the aid will have people he or she can refer to and ask questions in the event they struggle to communicate effectively.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Alexandria, VA, call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. 703-273-8818

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Michelle DeFilippis

I graduated with a BS degree and had been selling medical equipment to hospitals, clinics and technicians. More recently, a family member was diagnosed with dementia and we, as a family, realized we were not prepared t care for her. We were thrown into that whirlpool of hospital stays, 24/7 live-in care, skilled care, caring for mom ourselves and finally, now daily home care. This was such a stressful time that I started thinking there had to be other people, other families as overwhelmed and unprepared as we were.

Medical Professionals On Call has such a caring, professional staff who are available to step in with whatever level of care necessary for loved ones and to relieve you of that stress.

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