Caregivers make a big difference in older adults’ lives. Your mom and dad want to live independently, but they admit it’s getting harder to do certain things. They forget to take their medications when they get up. They struggle to do the laundry. With help from home care aides, your parents remain independent. They have a helping hand when they need one, but they’re still at home and independent. Before you set up home care, take these four steps.
Your dad and mom need to have someone who can relay their wishes if they developed a health issue or were in an accident that left them unable to communicate. That’s what a power of attorney (POA) grants.
They need someone to tell doctors about their health history, if they’d want treatments like feeding tubes, and if they have religious objections to specific treatment methods. The advance directive states their wishes and may also include information on whether they’re organ donors or have a DNR in place.
In addition to a medical POA, they need to name someone for financial decisions. That person will step in and ensure bills, including home care expenses, are paid for on time. If financial decisions need to be made, a POA can do it.
Go through your parents’ home and make sure any safety issues are addressed. A home care agency can work on this with you. Dim lighting, loose carpeting, and a lack of grab bars in the bathroom are possible issues.
Host a family meeting. If your brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, or close family friends want to take a day now and then to help out your mom and dad, note the days and frequency. It can help when you’re coming up with the best schedule for home care services.
If you plan to be at your parents every Sunday to do laundry, that’s one thing professional caregivers won’t have to do. If your brother has every other Friday off and wants to take your parents to the grocery store, that’s another task the caregiver won’t be responsible for.
Go over your parents’ health and physical abilities to come up with a care plan. You’ll want to have a clear idea of what help they need each day. You can fill in days with help from family members if that help is available. Otherwise, caregivers will be helping out with the activities they can’t complete independently.
It’s time. Call a home care agency and arrange caregivers for your parents. If you take care of these seven things before the aide arrives, you’re setting your parents up for a successful partnership with caregivers.
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