Providing home care in Vancouver to senior parents can be a repetitive process. It has its own set of challenges, but often times, caregivers have to deal with not just the stress but also the boredom of their duties.
Illustration for article titled How to Keep Boredom Out of Senior Home Care

If you are looking for ways to combat boredom when providing home care in Vancouver, here are the things you can do:

1. Provide activities that you can do together.

Your senior loved-one is probably bored as well, which is why you should come up with activities such as games that can be entertaining. You can do activities helpful for the condition of your senior family member. For instance, if your senior family member has dementia, activities that can boost brain and memory functions can help. Do crossword puzzles, memory games or any activity that can help stimulate the brain.

2. Try gardening.

It’s not just great for seniors, it’s also good for those providing home care in Vancouver. Light gardening work is relaxing and helps keep your mind off of your everyday duties. It is also entertaining, especially once you start seeing the fruits of your labor.

If you have a space in your backyard, build raised beds and plant fruits or vegetables that you will be able to use in the kitchen. Tending to your garden can also keep you busy every day. You can make it a daily activity to water and tend to the plants with your senior family member.

3. Do one outdoor activity each day.

You will surely get antsy when you are always cooped up indoors. This is why you should go out and take a breather every once in a while. Go out for a job or take your bike and cycle around the neighborhood. You will come back feeling refreshed. If your senior parent is up for it, you can even take him/her out. There are now tandem bikes that make it easier for seniors with mobility issues to get around.

4. Do something productive during boring hours.

It helps to create more structure in your day. Start by scheduling the important things you need to do early in the morning, so that by the afternoon, you are free to do anything for yourself such as productive activities like reading. You can even sneak in some work or cleaning.

5. Get additional help for home care in Vancouver.

A lot of caregivers think if they relinquish some of their tasks to professionals such as Home Instead Senior Care, they are no longer a good child to their senior parent. That’s not true. You can get additional help, so you can also pursue the activities that you want to do.

Professional caregivers can also provide more structure to the day of seniors. They can offer solutions to boredom such as doing activities that will help engage seniors.

Adam Jackson is the author of this article. For more details about Home Health Care Vancouver please visit our website: homeinstead.ca/3039