Deciding how much in-home senior care is right for a senior loved one
Together with your in-home care agency partner an ideal care schedule can be planned
You’ve made the determination that in-home care is needed, and that’s a significant first step, but deciding on how many days and hours of service are needed each week may feel a little less certain.
The good news is that you do not need to have these questions answered when you first pick up the phone to speak with an in-home care agency partner. It’s a team effort to build a care plan and schedule that is right for your individual situation.
Following are some of the considerations that can help identify the right in-home care schedule for you.
- Service Minimums
Many agencies will require a minimum number of hours per shift, per week. For example, an agency may have a policy that states they schedule for a minimum of four hours per shift with at least two shifts a week. That’s 8 hours per week right there. Each agency will be different, and this is an important question to ask at the beginning of your conversations with a potential in-home care partner. - Personal Cares
As you and your agency partner hone in on specific cares that may be needed at home, the agency will have a good sense for how long individual tasks take. For example, in your mind you may be thinking, ‘dad just needs a quick shower and that’s it.’ But when you take into account the time to prep the bathroom for safety, that dad moves more slowly these days and will require hands-on assistance getting undressed and helped into the shower, the time to safely and comfortably shower and then dry off, apply any lotions, and get dressed for the day (and clean the bathroom area when all is done), well, it is no longer a ‘quick shower.’ A Caregiver will always take the appropriate time to ensure clients are safe and comfortable, and as an agency partner gets to know your senior loved one and any challenges they have they will help suggest recommended times to complete certain tasks. - Relinquishing Tasks
Often the first impulse when extra help at home is needed is, ‘I’ll do it myself’. Family caregivers risk their own health and wellbeing when they don’t account for their own needs or take a break when necessary. Accept the extra time for outside support so that you don’t have to do it all yourself and try to not discount how precious and important that time of respite can be for you. - VA Authorizations
Veterans or the surviving spouse of a veteran requiring in-homecare may be eligible to receive homemaker, home health aide, skilled nursing, and/or in-home respite care. In these cases the Veteran’s Administration will authorize the maximum number of service hours that can be provided under the covered VA benefit. Our work is done!
- Find Flexibility. When there are a lot of variables and unknowns around a loved one’s acceptance to care, fluctuating health, or personal care needs, for example, it can be helpful to simply find a comfortable set of hours to start, and know that you have flexibility to adjust hours as things change or better come into focus. Each agency will be different, and flexibility to increase or decrease hours is another important question to ask at the beginning of your conversations with a potential in-home care partner.
The right plan with the right partner
By the time you pick up the phone to speak with a potential in-home care agency partner, or schedule an in-home care assessment, you may already have a specific schedule all mapped out, and that can be a good starting point. But it’s just as well to start with a blank slate that can be completed together, and to begin with more questions whose answers will help shape an individualized care plan and schedule just right for you and your loved one.
Comfort Keepers Twin Cities is always eager to take your call, listen to your unique care needs, and answer your questions (and ask some questions of our own!). Call and speak to a knowledgeable, patient member of our care support team at (651) 372-8736.
You do not need to have all the answers when you first pick up the phone to speak with Comfort Keepers; getting to what is right for you is a team effort.
