So Close No Matter How Far: Caring for Your Aging Parents During the Pandemic

Are you caring for aging parents during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Whether your parents live across the country or town, taking care of them while maintaining distance is challenging. However, distancing yourself from older parents is a good idea to help protect them from COVID-19, as elderly populations are at a higher risk of serious side effects of the disease.

Even though you’re protecting their health by avoiding close physical contact, aging parents still require your attention and need proper care.

So how can you ensure your parents are taken care of at a safe distance? Successful remote monitoring is possible. Here are five ways to care for aging parents during the pandemic:

1. Communicate Regularly

You may not be able to speak to your parents in person, but that doesn’t mean you can’t talk on the phone or set up remote meetings through platforms like FaceTime or Zoom.

Staying connected to your aging parents is more important now than ever. They may feel lonely if they can’t see you in person, so taking the time to call, text, and video chat every single day will help boost their mood and let them know that you care.

2. Order Food and Help with Errands

During the pandemic, an errand as simple as going to the grocery store can be extremely dangerous for aging parents. You can care for your parents by having groceries, medication and other essential items delivered straight to their home.

Large companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target make it easier than ever to have food and other items delivered to your parents, sometimes as soon as the same day, depending on where you live.

Grocery delivery is also a good way to ensure your aging parents are eating healthy during this time, as they must eat a balanced diet to keep their immune systems strong.

3. Help Them Stay Active

Staying active during the pandemic can be challenging, especially for older populations, but you must encourage your aging parents to stay active. Encourage them to go for walks outside, so long as they keep a safe distance from others.

You can also consider purchasing at-home exercise equipment so they can stay active while staying inside.

4. Protect Them From Scams

Watch out for elder scams that may pop up during the pandemic. Ensure your parents don’t give anyone money or give out any personal information to receive money from strangers.

For more information on consumer scams, check out the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

5. Get Professional Help

If you live far away from your aging parents, it may be a good idea to hire a nurse or other help. These professionals can go check in on your parents, run errands for them, or assist with anything else they may need if you cannot be there yourself.

Learn More About Caring for Aging Parents

Caring for aging parents is no easy task, even in normal times. Taking care of elders is even more difficult when you have to maintain physical distance from them. The good news is that thanks to new technologies like video chatting and grocery delivery, there are many things you can do to stay connected to your family during difficult times.

For more tips that will make caring for aging parents a little easier, make sure you check out the rest of our website.