What Do Caregivers Do for the Elderly?

It’s easy to see or lookup the typical tasks that caregivers do for the elderly, but those simple tasks do more than you may think.

There are the obvious basic tasks like grocery shopping or meal prepping, but caregivers go above and beyond these normal caregiving tasks to add to the quality of life of those they care for.

How Caregivers Become a Support System

It’s been shown time and time again how important social interaction and support is throughout our lives. It makes sense that is it even more important in our elderly years. But, these are often the years that social interaction and support start become less and less.

Caregivers are the means in which seniors can have a constant social support. Caregivers provide seniors with unwavering, steady care that they can depend on. The role of caregivers go beyond what other jobs require. They become the support system to the people that they care for. And it is this support that adds to the quality of life to the seniors they are paired with.

Often, as we grow older, normal interactions between friends and neighbors become few and far in between. This could be for many reasons including physical and or psychological. Some seniors may have physical trouble being able to do outside. Others may be facing things like depression and being to slowly pull away from social interaction. But it is crucial that this doesn’t happen. Human beings are inherently social beings, and to maintain a healthy life must maintain social interactions. Caregivers provide that needed social aspect back into someone’s life.

The Physical and Emotional Side Effects of Caregiving

As mentioned above, caregivers provide that needed social interaction. It’s this social interaction that adds to the health and well being of the seniors they care for. But, what many people don’t know is how these interactions really benefit physical and emotional health.

People, especially seniors, who have a healthy social balance in life have a better likelihood of experiencing better emotional and physical health. People don’t always understand the exact ways psychological health can affect us physically. But, for example, someone who lacks interaction with people, may begin to really feel the aches and pains that are associated with aging. When there is constant social interaction, or more specifically positive social interaction, our brains can release dopamine. Dopamine makes us feel good and can, even if momentarily, dull the everyday pains we feel. If we feel good, through our social interactions or otherwise, it’s more likely we will feel good physically.

On the other hand, the constant support of a caregiver can also provide us with emotional security. Again as human beings we like to share the stresses and joys of life. A caregiver can serve as that confidante. And in turn that can make us feel that we have someone to turn to.

Caregivers Go Above and Beyond

What caregivers do for the elderly will naturally have to go beyond the normal outlined tasks. Because they are working and caring for people, they do much more than provide support with chores.  They are the helping hand and the listening ear for the seniors they provide care to. And it’s for this reason that caregivers can become some of the most vital components to the healthy and happy aging of a senior. They can provide that long term, day to day care. 

Conclusion

There are a variety of reasons people opt to have home care. But, the vast amount of benefits that caregivers provide for the elderly can’t just be summed up in a list. They provide different, tailored care for every person they are matched with. And at Homecare Powered by AUAF, our caregivers are trained and ready and willing to add positive and helpful interactions to the senior that needs them.

If you have any questions about our caregivers, or if you believe caregiving is the job for you, give us a call at 773.274.9262.