There comes a time in everyone’s life when their caretakers need a little care themselves. Caring for an aging parent isn’t easy. From the emotional toll to the physical work, senior care is a difficult job. But despite its challenges, many people do it in order to provide their parents with comfort and support in their later years.

To make the process a little easier, read this helpful guide on how to take care of your aging parents.

Make Your Home More Accessible

If you’re caring for a parent at home, you may need to make some changes in terms of safety. Although everyone’s mobility is going to be different, many seniors struggle to perform common household tasks. Minor dangers in the home can also be exacerbated by an elderly person’s mental and physical condition.

Consider some of these precautions when preparing to move a parent into your home:

• Place non-skid runners on steps
• Install ramps and stairlifts for wheelchair access
• Incorporate non-slip bath mats and stability handles in the shower
• Clean up clutter to reduce risk of falling

The Main Takeaway: A safe, accessible home is crucial if you plan on taking in an aging parent.

Familiarize Yourself with Their Needs

If your elderly parent struggles to remember things, you’ll need to help them keep track of their routine. To that end, you might need to get used to some of the habits below:

• Learn about their medications – Whether they take a simple multivitamin, or something more complicated—like blood pressure or essential tremor medication—you’ll want to know the ins and outs of what they’re taking. Picking up prescriptions, administering doses, and monitoring side effects are all important facets of caring for the elderly.
• Understand their diet – Many seniors have specific dietary needs. To ensure your parent is getting the proper nourishment they need, have a discussion with them (or their doctor) about the kinds of food they should be eating. This is especially important if you’re cooking meals for them yourself—or if dietary supplements are needed to fill nutritional gaps. 
• Have the proper equipment – From oxygen tanks to IVs, elderly care requires a lot of tools. Although your parent may or may not require any medical equipment, it’s important to consult their doctor about the best way to prepare your home for their arrival.

The Main Takeaway: Your parents probably have different needs than they used to. Understand what essentials you’ll need prior to accepting the role as a caretaker.

Find Balance in Your Schedule

It’s impossible to care for someone if you’re not taking care of yourself. While elderly care can be a full-time job, you’ll need to find a balance in your schedule to prevent burnout. Not only is it important to have time to yourself, but your parent needs their own life as well.

To prioritize your mental health (and your parent’s), consider some of these ideas: 

• Hire an in-home nurse – There’s only so much you can do if you’re not a medical professional. For serious healthcare concerns, don’t be afraid to hire an in-home nurse for assistance. This will ensure your parent is receiving the best treatment, and also give you a much-needed break.
• Let your parent socialize – Whether you choose daytime elderly care or get them involved in some sort of club, they’ll appreciate the chance to socialize with people outside of the house. A healthy separation between home life and social life will be necessary for both parties. 
• Discuss other options – If caring for your aging parent full-time is too much to handle, have an open conversation with them about other options. Assisted living facilities—or even moving them to a separate home close by—are some possibilities if you’re financially sound. Remember that you should both have a say in this process, and finding the best solution may take some time.

The Main Takeaway: Being a caretaker is a demanding job. Make sure you have the bandwidth to manage these newfound duties (or explore other options).

It Takes Getting Used To! 

If you’re feeling nervous about caring for an aging parent—you’re not alone. Many people struggle with this jarring transition. Just remember that your hard work is appreciated, and nothing can beat support that comes from the heart. 

You can’t make life perfect for your elderly parents, but being with them during this transition is you fulfilling the cycle of life through love. We wish you and your parents the best!

There has never been a better time to up your game when it comes to loungewear. Covid 19 and the latest lockdown has seen us spending more time at home than ever, working from home, homeschooling, or furloughed, waiting for better times when we can get out and about again and resume some sort of normality.

Loungewear is the perfect answer for what to wear when you are spending most of your time indoors. It is very easy to just live in your pyjamas when you know that, on that day, you are not going to leave the house at all. But in my view, pyjamas, teamed with a big dressing gown, are what you wear at bedtime, and, although it is easy for the days to begin to merge into one, it is something we should try and avoid, and getting dressed and wearing some decent loungewear can address this dilemma.

Femme Luxe currently has a really great range of loungewear sets that bridge the gap between staying in pjs and getting dressed. They are all about comfort and warmth, but they are also stylish enough to be dressed up or down, and are fashion forward in a way that you won’t feel embarrassed opening the door to the Hermes man again. They have a range of products in their range, from soft and cosy hoodies, to oversized tracksuits and jogging suits, cute sweatshirts and the classic cuffed joggers. All the pieces come in a good range of colours that vary from pretty pastel shades, classic neutrals and the always iconic black and white.

The tracksuits and hoodies will be great teamed with trainers, but with the likes of Hailey Baldwin and Gigi Hadid leading the way, loungewear can now also be worn with killer heels for a look more suitable to being ‘out out’ (yes this will happen again one day.) Lounge pieces can also be a little more fitted, and in cropped styles that are perfect for layering now, and will then move you nicely into Spring.

My loungewear set is in a soft gray marl shade that makes it a brilliant base to add colour around. The top has a boxy, cropped shape with a crew neckline and capped sleeves. The shape makes it perfect for layering now, but you can also see it being worn with skinnies or denim shorts when Summer comes. The trousers are more fitted than a traditional jogger, but are not as tight as leggings, so this makes them super flattering, and they sit nicely on the waist, making them very comfortable to wear. They are also not too tight on the crotch area, so you get to avoid the much dreaded ‘camel hoof’ that can be a problem with leggings.

The trousers are cropped in length on me (I’m 5ft 7inches) and have a drawstring waist detail, which just adds some extra detail and interest to the look. I have teamed my look with pops of colour with some red heels from Vivienne Westwood, an deep brick coloured furry bag, and a statement necklace with a large, shocking pink stone. The grey shade of this outfit makes it a perfect backdrop for bright colours, although you could just add some classic black accents for a striking, mono styled look.

Clothes that offer you comfort every day, are versatile enough to wear for a whole host of activities, and come under the umbrella heading of lounge wear or lounge set no longer have to mean something shapeless and oversized. Loungewear can now be more fitted, stylish and something that could be worn with heels. This makes it the perfect look for a time where the dustbins go out more than we do!