Caring For Elderly Parents

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Christina Aragon Professor King English 100 20 September 2012 Caring For Elderly Parents Many adult children are forced to make decisions regarding their elderly parents care. Some adult children struggle with the idea of having to take on the role of caregiver to their parent(s). Such decisions may cause tension between the children of the elderly parent(s). Until this issue is presented to the adult children, most of them have only known their parent(s) to be the caregiver, not the one who needs care. Many options are available for adult children to decide from when it comes to caregiving for the elderly, including options for those who do not have the time to care for their elderly parent(s). It may be that the adult children live too far away, or that the adult children have children of their own and that their lives are already consumed with caring for them. Options also exist for those adult children who want to help, but do not want their lives taken over by the task of having to care for their elderly parent(s). The article “Nursing Homes vs. Home Care,” states that the majority of elderly citizens or seniors, in the United States prefer to live in a home setting, whether it is their home or the home of their adult children. According to this article, in-home care is care provided in a home by those who do not have any medical training. These people could be family members, friends, or a trained aid. They are often referred to as caregivers. The tasks provided by these people are basic, such as food preparation, toileting, and bathing. A term used in the article to reference these tasks is Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s). When the senior has needs that fall a little out of the spectrum of these caregivers, home health aides can be called upon to assist with care. Home health aides have certified medical training specific to caring

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