How can you help the aging adult in your life navigate the patient-caregiver relationship? Even though your parent, grandparent, or other elderly loved one may enjoy the assistance and companionship of a homecare aide most of the time, every relationship has its bumps. Take a look at what you can do to facilitate a positive patient-caregiver relationship between the senior and their home health provider.
Work on Communication Skills
Communication is critical for a positive relationship. If communication issues cause problems in the patient-caregiver relationship, you can step in and help. The easiest ways to foster better communication between the senior and their home healthcare provider include:
- Get to the root of the problem. Why is there a breakdown in communication? Does your loved one feel uncomfortable expressing themselves? Talk to your loved one and the caregiver separately about their concerns to better understand the cause of this issue.
- Use easy-to-understand terms. Does the caregiver use medical jargon or terms that are unfamiliar to the senior? Does the senior phrase sentences or use words the caregiver doesn't understand? Make sure each person in this relationship can accurately understand the other.
- Foster empathy. Each member of the relationship should feel empathy or understanding for the other.
Talk to your loved one and the caregiver separately and then bring them together to work on communication skills. Give each person in this relationship the chance to speak their mind, express their concerns, and feel acceptance.
Observe the Relationship
Do you only hear about the relationship issues between your loved one and their home health caregiver secondhand? If the senior and the caregiver provide you with conflicting information, you may need to:
- Stay at the senior's home for the day. Offer to stay with the pair to observe. This can give you a better picture of the relationship.
- Take a step back. If you do choose to observe the relationship, try not to intervene unless you need to. Step back and watch what happens between the pair. Wait until after you've carefully watched the interactions to provide an opinion.
- Keep an open mind. While you may feel a sense of loyalty to your loved one, don't assume the caregiver is at fault. Keep an open mind as you observe the interactions. Your loved one may have a skewed view of the relationship, or the parties may not see eye-to-eye.
Before you observe the interactions, clear your plan with your family member. Provided you don't feel your loved one is in danger, you need to listen to and respect their wishes. If they don't want you to stay home or intervene, you'll need to take a different approach.
Ask Plenty of Questions
You've tried to facilitate communication and have observed the senior and the caregiver for a day. But the relationship still has bumps. Whether the bumps are major issues or minor differences, you still need to mend the relationship.
To help your loved one resolve relationship issues, ask them:
- Do you feel comfortable with the caregiver?
Some patients may not feel comfortable with their caregiver. This is a personal decision. If your loved one has a low sense of comfort, you may need to move on to a new home health aide.
- Does the caregiver understand your expectations?
Does your loved one tell the caregiver what they expect? Remind the senior to express themselves fully, ask questions, and provide the caregiver with the information they need to succeed.
- Do you want a caregiver?
Your loved one may believe they don't need a caregiver. If this is the problem, discuss the benefits of home healthcare.
While you could hire a new caregiver, unresolved issues could spill over into the next relationship. Failure to truly understand the problem could result in a repetitive caregiver cycle.
Does your elderly loved one need help in their home? Contact
Redi-Nurse
for more information.
