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Senior citizens live longer life spans every year. And often these individuals are family members and loved ones who need a little bit of extra help, but aren’t ready to enter an assisted living facility. How do you know if you, your family and your home are ready to take on the responsibility of caregiving for an elderly family member?

Preparing yourself: education and support

In order to provide the best possible care, you need to adequately prepare yourself for what caregiving is and what it means. The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) offers these four tips in its 2011 Family Caregiver Toolkit and Planner to help you help an elderly family member continue to participate and enjoy life:

1. Educate yourself about your loved one’s condition and how to best communicate with doctors and other medical professionals.
2. Be on the look out for signs of depression. Also, don’t postpone seeking professional help; it can be largely beneficial for all parties.
3. Take breaks to relax and recharge when caregiving. It can be a tiring job, so reward yourself with breaks.
4. Don’t be afraid to seek support and advice from other caregivers. Strength and confidence comes from knowing you’re not alone in a situation.

Preparing your family: checklists, first aid, CPR and ACLS online tests

The NFCA also offers a “Self Assessment Checklist” on its Family Caregiving website. These assessments help identify personal strengths and weaknesses and give advice on maintaining your family’s health while offering care to an elderly family member or loved one. Senior caregiving may not always be the easiest task, but it’s certainly an important one

Another option for preparing your family is gaining life-support certifications that can better equip you to manage an emergency situation, should one arise at home. Health Ed Solutions offers ACLS online tests for individuals in the medical field, as well as online first aid, CPR and AED training for non-medical professionals. Don’t know if you’re qualified for ACLS? Review questions you have related to this certification at Health Ed Solutions’ website.

Preparing your home

The NFCA, along with the National Alliance for Caregiving, also offer family caregivers a “Home Safety Checklist” to determine the simple adjustments that can be made to homes to make them more “senior friendly” and more “senior safe”. When you’re focused on providing care to an elderly loved one, you may not consider some of the accessibility or safety concerns that arise – but there are quick and easy fixes. For example, the Home Safety Checklist recommends installing railings in the shower for extra support.

Health Ed Solutions’ courses provide BLS, PALS and ACLS online certification and recertification for medical professionals and others who simply want to be prepared for a medical emergency. To learn more about BLS, PALS and ACLS online tests and courses, visit Health Ed Solutions’ website.