In Home Care for Elderly Parents - Tips for Hiring In Home Health Care
There comes a time when you realize you can't do it all alone. Unfortunately, many of us don't even know where to start looking for help, or what questions to ask once we find it. When it comes to assessing in home care needs for elderly parents, or even assisted-living or long-term or nursing home care, knowing what to ask is one of the best ways to determine whether a particular service or facility is the right one for your elderly parent.
Start by asking yourself some questions. How much care does Mom or Dad really need that I'm unable to help with all the time?
Here are some places to start.
Does Mom or Dad need help with:
Household care is that which includes such in home care as cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, shopping and in some cases, yard work.
Personal care is defined as dressing, eating, bathing and toileting-type needs. In many cases, adult caregivers are just not capable (physically or emotionally) to address such issues of in home care on a daily basis.
In Home Care of a Medical nature involves getting your parent to doctor's appointments, managing medication schedules and dealing with physical therapy issues, administering medications, applying medication to wounds, among others.
Whether you decide to hire help from a local in home care agency or the nice woman down the block, caregivers need to ask basic questions that will help determine the suitability of individuals to care for elderly parents. While it's not always possible to cover every base when it comes to hiring help, performing background checks, engaging in interviews and assessing work histories are some of the best methods to finding reliable, honest, hard-working individuals who will help you provide the best care possible for your elderly parent.
Once you've assessed the type of help your elderly parent needs, you should be able to create a rough job description that will help identify responsibilities or needs that are required to be addressed by the individual you eventually hire.
Some initial issues to address are what type of elderly home care help you want. Is the individual you hire a professional caregiver? Is he or she licensed? Do you just need someone to help drive your elderly parents to his or her doctor's appointments, and if so, does that person hold a current valid driver's license?
So, basic questions to ask an elderly home care caregiver should include but are not limited to:
If you are seeking help through home care agencies, questions you will want to ask include:
When hiring home care services for your elderly parents, don't fore go the necessity of a contract. This will protect you, your parent and the caregiver. A contract is a legal affirmation of formal services and should include:
Your name and the individual or home care agency's name
When it comes to making a final decision, take the time to fully investigate the care agencies or caregiver that you have selected. Don't cut corners. This is a very important decision and one that requires to be approached like any business negotiation. Protect yourself. Protect your parent. Take the time to research, interview and choose the best care provider you can.
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Dec 28, 20 12:23 PM
My mother is 93, in good health, no major heath issues, totally ambulatory. When my father died 6 years ago we found her a beautiful independent senior
Dec 28, 20 12:21 PM
So I lost my mom 18 months ago. After her passing I would come to my parents house to clean and cook a couple of times a week for my dad. He still gets
Dec 28, 20 12:18 PM
I came back home in 2004 to help my dad as he had cancer, he eventually passed away few years later. Well here I am am in 2020 still at home taking care