Tag: Parents

The Pros and Cons

The COVID-19 pandemic has a lot of people on edge, particularly those who are concerned with the well-being of loved ones at high-risk of contracting the virus. The CDC states “The risk for severe illness with COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. Severe illness means that a person diagnosed with COVID-19 may require hospitalization, intensive care, a ventilator to help them breathe or may even die.” 

As the adult children of aging parents, you may be hyper-alert to your parents’ physical and mental health. In-person visits are opportunities to assess your loved ones and to pick-up on signals of cognitive decline. As the holidays roll around, COVID-19 has caused another potential risk in the health and safety of aging adults as they are less likely to have in-person visits from loved ones who can pick up on red flags of declining health. 

Caring for aging parents isn’t an easy task, but it can be really challenging when you live out of town and don’t see them on a constant basis. You may start out handling small things like paying bills or keeping track of important paperwork, but the role of a caregiver can change dramatically as your parents’ needs change.