Living a distance away from a family member in a retirement community in B.C. or AB, who needs support, can be a challenging proposition. It is not practical to uproot our life to move closer, so there becomes a need to help your aging family member from a distance. Rest assured knowing that you are not alone and this is not a unique situation, and there are ways to help your family member.

Know Their Sitaution

The first thing to determine is what are the physical needs of your loved one. If they are already living in a retirement community, such as H & H Cedarwood, you can talk to staff about how he or she is doing. If your loved one is not yet in care, it may be time to look into retirement communities, depending on his or her needs.

Educate Yourself

So if you learn that your loved one needs more care, it is time to educate yourself on what options are out there. There is a wide range of care options available, depending on the physical health and care needs of your loved one. This can be anything from independent living, to full time care.

Look at Taking Over Finances and Medical Decisions

This may also be a time that you need to look at taking over the finances of your loved one, as well as medical decisions. Being able to remotely monitor finances can help to remove that stress for both you and your aging family member, and ensure everything is in order.

Being able to also make medical decisions is important, but difficult from afar. Technology could aid with this, as you could remotely discuss options and care with a health provider, or even have someone accompany your family member to appointments and record the conversation.

Be There When You Can

Of course, it is still important to be there for your family memeber as often as you can. Social isolation is a real concern for many seniors, so even a daily phone call can make a world of difference. Just because you are unable to visit face to face does not mean you should disappear for long periods of time. Take care of your loved one by still being present, in some way.