How can I Find Quality In-Home Care to Take Care of my Mom?

The great majority of elderly people live at home and at some point, they will need some assistance. So, if you oversee your parent’s care, you will, at some point, need to obtain extra support for them. There are different choices to choose from when your parents need help. For example, there are home health care, assisted living, nursing facilities, hired caregivers, and family member support, among others. Some are covered by health insurance and some will be out-of-pocket expenses.

There are lots of things to consider, some are listed below:

• How much help do they need?
• Does Medicare or insurance cover the care needed? If not do you have a budget to consider?
• Are your parents open to having someone in their home?
• Do your parents want to relocate?
• Is there a family member available and able to help?

The Challenge

From years of experience, the only option to keep elderly parents in their homes would be to hire caregivers. In most cases, keeping the elderly at home appears to be the least painful and costly option. However, it might be difficult to convince your parents to welcome a hired caregiver into their home.  And even more difficult to locate someone who can be trusted.

Another option for care would be family member help. One of the things we often see is that children of the elderly attempt to do miracles. They struggle to keep their parents safe and happy in their homes that are often not designed for their situation.

A Family Member or Hiring a Caregiver for Help

Family members often feel bad about the situation at hand. Children are up against a challenge that no one should address on their own. Our normal houses and communities are not designed to care for fragile elderly people. So, remember that while children often berate themselves, they are attempting to accomplish something impossible. As referenced above, there are lots of help for the elderly.

Another option is to employ someone to help with your parents. If you can locate the proper individual, there are actual benefits to employing someone to assist in caring for the elderly. It can improve your parent’s social isolation and offer the children a respite.  In addition, it can provide an objective view of their condition — a hired assistant can be beneficial to everyone.

Home Care vs. Home Health

“Home care” or “personal care” are terms used to describe paid home assistance. Providing home care may assist your parent with a wide range of duties including bathing, dressing, and feeding. Also, included are driving, shopping, food preparation, and light cleaning.

“Home care” and “home health” terms are not interchangeable. Physician-ordered medical treatments fall under home health. This is provided by medically competent professionals such as nurses and therapists in the patient’s home. It is also covered by Medicare.

Home care, on the other hand, is not a medical service, nor is it covered by Medicare. Families usually pay for home care out of their own pockets. Or, sometimes, Medicaid or long-term care insurance will cover home care. If you are planning to employee help for your parent, learn how the system works. It could save you lots of money. Below are the four actions you take to improve your chances of success.

Consider a Home Care Agency

Home care is frequently delivered through agencies. Often the same agency can provide numerous types of care for your parent(s). Check with your parents’ physician for a list of options for the care they need. Physicians usually know who would be best for their patient’s needs.

Working with an Agency

From discussions with friends, coworkers, and caregivers, it appears that working with an agency is the way to go. Without a doubt, choosing an agency is a frustrating experience. What you think you need and what a normal agency generally provides are frequently incompatible. Understanding this disconnect and changing your expectations is critical to getting the most out of an agency.

Because it’s our parents, we’re hoping that the agency will send us a senior-care Mary Poppins. And she will be well-paid and willing to come in for an hour or two to assist them. In actuality, the agency pays roughly $15 to $25 per hour for someone to come to your parents’ home. This person may utilize public transit and work for many agencies and/or occupations. Also, they may or may not receive benefits, supervision, or ongoing training.

It’s vital to understand what the agency’s home care services will provide vs. your must-have requirements. Often it is best to purchase a good amount of home care hours from the organization you choose. This way they have more freedom in scheduling the most important things on your list. It will be a costly option to hire someone to assist your parents. But on the other hand, you’ll also have a higher chance of obtaining the personal assistance you want, using an agency.

Consider Avoiding an Agency

Many people opt to bypass home care agencies and hire a home care helper on their own. Because there are many restrictions with the agency model, this helps families get the care they want. The benefits of this strategy can be significant. You have a better chance of finding someone who is truly remarkable. As well as a good match for your parent – but the difficulties of finding the right person are substantial. This option requires that you find the individual without the assistance of an agency. And you must handle all of the screening and scheduling yourself. In other words, you must be the employer, with all the responsibilities it involves. And there is no guarantee of training or quality of the person you hire.

There are also internet-based businesses that build online marketplaces with varied levels of administration and supervision. Care.com, for example, allows you and potential caregivers to meet online. Then it provides background checks, pricing, and online bill pay. Look into “Carelinx” and “Honor” if you reside in the West or Southwest. They appear to be making efforts to increase the compensation of staffers. Another company is “Honor” and they will develop a care plan and assign care managers. In addition, “Honor” and “Carelinx” appear to strike a fair balance between the requirement for in-person and digital connection. This is something that traditional agencies are struggling with.

Manage it All

Finally, the most difficult aspect of hiring in-home care is that you must manage it most of the time. You’re in charge of more than simply day-to-day duties and home-care personnel. Including understanding the bizarre medical care system, legal complications, and several other logistical issues that arise. And you’re attempting to accomplish it all while staying inside your budget and avoiding family feuds. This is a significant amount of weight to bear.

Additional Help

Consider employing services that aren’t oriented toward older individuals. For example, online options like grocery delivery and transportation services (like Uber). Also available are service providers like TaskRabbit or Amazon House Services. These provide more normal duties like driving, shopping, and home upkeep for your parents.

If possible employ an Aging Life Care Professional, generally a social worker or nurse. Generally, someone who will take on these more complicated and multi-dimensional obligations. If you can’t afford a full-time manager, hire a consultant for a few hours to help design a care plan. They can also assist you in reducing the possible 66 agencies down to four or five choices. Taking these basic steps of care planning and expert advice will pay off in the long run. And hopefully, save your sanity and be the best choice for your parents’ care.