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412-421-5202
January 29, 2019
Most elderly adults want to live in their own home for as long as possible.
Yet, injuries, illnesses, diseases and more threaten their independence and ability to care for themselves. Aging adults often have plenty of help in the day, from family members, friends, clergy, neighbors, and senior community organizations.
However, at night, elderly adults are often left alone without anyone to help if they should need it. Family caregivers won’t want to overlook this critical time of the day and should investigate night care for their aging relative.
Don’t Seniors Just Sleep All Night?
Most people think that seniors just sleep all night and certainly don’t need someone there to look after them. However, aging adults have all kinds of health issues that may wake them up frequently. For example, many elderly adults have a hard time getting up to use the bathroom in time or have accidents that require a change of the bedding. Some aging adults experience chronic pain that doesn’t allow them to get many hours of restful sleep.
Other health issues that interfere with an aging adult’s ability to sleep include muscle cramps, jitters from caffeine, a side effect of medication or insomnia, which is a symptom of different health issues. Dementia and Alzheimer’s can even play a role in a senior’s need for night care, because they frequently wake up in a panic, not knowing where they are. Family caregivers that notice their aging relative is having issues at night may want to consider hiring an elderly care provider to provide in-home care from dusk to dawn.
Elderly Care Providers Make a Real Difference
For aging adults that have trouble at night, an elderly care provider can be a real comfort. Instead of daytime tasks like housekeeping and meal preparation, the elderly care provider on the night shift is responsible for the aging adult’s health and well-being. Most night staff arrive just before the senior is ready for bed. They help with the nightly routine and help the aging adult settle down for the night. The elderly care provider is never too far away from the sleeping senior and is ready to attend to them should they need it.
Many aging adults don’t want to be alone in the night, and if family caregivers cannot manage a live-in situation, they are better off hiring an elderly care provider. Compassionate, professional and helpful, the elderly care providers can assist seniors as needed during the night, from getting them a glass of water to calming someone down after a nightmare.
When family caregivers realize that their aging relative is struggling in the night for various reasons, they must make the decision to hire an elderly care provider. In other words, if a senior is physically or mentally unable to care for themselves in the day, then they are also at a disadvantage in the night. With an elderly care provider, the nights will no longer be something to worry about.