You’ve turned to your parents all your life, from comfort for skinned knees to support during times of trial. You’ve relied on them for advice in all kinds of situations long after you’d moved out of home. It’s an uncomfortable, but all too common occurrence that parents, as they age, must eventually rely on their children for a wide range of care needs. And you’re only happy to help your parents in their next stage of life.
There comes a point, however, when you realise you can no longer help your parent on your own, especially if you live far away. Moving your parent into a nursing home doesn’t have to be the next logical step. Have you considered home care and personal help from home care agencies?
Assessing your parents’ needs
Before you even think of interviewing home care providers, you need to know exactly what your parent needs to stay comfortable and safe at home. There are a wide range of services available from basic home cleaning help all the way to high-level medical care provided by registered nurses. If possible, this is a conversation best to have with your parent and his or her doctor.
There are four types of care available:
- Personal care. This involves everything from bathing, toileting, and dressing to even eating.
- Household care. Your parent may need help with cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, shopping, and other chores around the house.
- Emotional. Isolation is a very real problem as our parents age, and you can’t be there every minute. Sometimes, our parents need someone for companionship, conversation, activities like playing cards or a board game, and just simply being there.
- Medical. Some parents need medical help such as managing their health conditions or administering medication to physical therapy and even wound care. This requires specialist care from medical staff.
Make a list of your parent’s needs and determine how often they need help. Do they need someone only infrequently to come in and help clean the house? Or do they need someone to come in daily to make sure they’re eating properly and taking their medications?
Get help to decide the type of caregiver needed
There are rules and regulations that govern what activities a caregiver can provide. For example, you might need:
- Companion. This is someone who’s there to help around the house, provide company, or even offer transportation. They’re not allowed to provide any hands-on help.
- Certified Nurses Aides. A nurse’s aide can do everything a companion can do and also hands-on help like hygiene care and dressing.
- Nurse. Nurses can do everything in the prior two categories plus administer medication, clean and care for wounds, changing catheters, and more health management needs.
Now is the time to research home care service agencies. You’ll need their help to determine the level and type of care your parent needs. They can also help you decide how often your parents need care.
Final thoughts
Once you nail down the details from above, it’s a matter of meeting the service provider representatives to see which one “clicks” better with your parent and you. Take your time and evaluate how the service provider interact with your parent. The care provider you choose must not only be skilled at their job, but they must also get along well with your parent. Look for someone your parent wants to see often.
It’s also important for you to be comfortable with the caregiver. You will work closely with this individual to manage your parent’s care.
Once you’ve found the care provider, you’ll know. You’ll feel a sense of relief knowing your parents are in good hands when you can’t be with them.
If you’re uncertain about the best-suited carer for your loved one, contact My Guardian at 02 9336 7555. We’ll walk through all your options and help you choose the one that best meet your preferences and
