Many older adults understandably want to stay at home as long as possible instead of moving into a care center or nursing home. However, this decision can mean that your loved one is not cared for as well as they would be with relatively constant care or supervision. This can be a concern for an elderly loved one who is showing signs of physical or mental decline —after all, you want to be certain that your loved one is both safe and happy as they age. Home care may be a good compromise that allows for a person to enjoy life at a private residence while receiving support with the activities of daily living (ADLs) that are needed to get through the day.
Deciding the right type of care for your loved one is a very personal choice that involves a realistic evaluation of your loved one’s abilities. Once you have made the decision to look further into home care, you may wonder how to go about getting set up with a home care provider and how to decide what your home care provider should be doing for your loved one.
Deciding on the Best Home Care Option For Your Loved One
Determining the needs of the individual and what care can reasonably be provided by caregivers and other family members is essential when it comes time to make a decision regarding home care. For example, how your family is structured will influence the levels of home care that your elderly family member depends on. You might be able to buy groceries for them, but you are unable to prepare daily meals for them to eat. Maybe your family caregivers are around to do some house chores but you aren’t able to assist with dressing, bathing, and toileting.
Home care services range from minimal supervision and support with these kinds of activities of daily living, to round-the-clock care. The levels of care and assistance provided are customized to the very specific wants and needs of your elderly loved one. Although all in-home care consumers will require assistance with ADLs, the care provided to one individual could be very distinct from another person who receives home care because every individual/family has their own unique lifestyle.
Why Assistance With ADLs is Important
Your home care plan may involve the following supportive ADL services:
- Bathing, grooming, skin and oral care
- Dressing and laundry
- Incontinence care
- Shopping
- Transportation and driving to medical appointments and special occasions
- Household chores
- Getting ready for the day with dressing and laundry
- Meal preparation and feeding
- Reminders for medication
- Mobility around the house
Do any of these activities of daily living appear to be a challenge for your elderly loved one and your ability to help them? Many elderly individuals who wish to maintain the “independence” of living from home require additional support completing some or all of these ADLs. Individuals and their caregivers who cannot complete all of these on their own are good candidates for professional non-medical assistance that enhances the quality-of-life goals for everyone involved in the care plan.
Sometimes the best thing for your elderly loved one is having someone available to regularly check in on them to make sure they are getting by okay with everything, especially if caregivers aren’t nearby. Our caregivers can do this kind of companionship care and so much more. We have learned the friendly relationship between caregiver and the consumer is crucial, and when paired with the right care aide, the therapeutic bond developed between them promotes happiness, comfort, and safety.
Although it may be difficult to acknowledge that we need support, many individuals can greatly benefit from compassionate home care assistance.
Finding Home Care Services in Your Area
Finding Home Care Services in Your Area once you have decided on the type of care that your loved one needs, the next step is to decide which home care provider can fit all of your needs. With the baby boomers reaching their golden years and a large number of other individuals who require assistance, there are more home care options than ever before. A quick online search will probably bring up many suggestions for home care in your area.
However, you should investigate your home care options in-depth before making a commitment. When you are analyzing your different home care options, consider the following suggestions:
- Ask friends and family for suggestions on home care
- Consider how long a particular home care provider has been in your community or has been providing services
- Ask whether the home care provider will work well with any applicable Medicare benefits
- How does the home care provider prepare your loved one’s plan? Can this plan be updated as time goes on?
- Ask how the home care provider handles situations where their employees cannot come to work on a particular day
- How are the home care employees trained and hired? Is there a screening process for potential new employees?
Conducting an interview with a potential home care provider can be an extremely helpful way to determine if this is the right home care service for your loved one. Prior to the interview, you may want to prepare a list of the particular needs that your loved one may have that require additional support. Do these individuals appear to be trustworthy, knowledgeable, and forthcoming when you asked questions?
Contact Comfort Home Care For Support Today!
Everyone’s home care needs are different, and finding the right combination of in-home care support for your loved one is very important. To learn more about how our in-home care services can support and elderly loved one, call Comfort Home Care directly or contact us online today!
