Your family has been talking about your dad’s care needs. Since his diagnosis of high blood pressure and diabetes, he’s struggled to manage all the necessary changes. For that reason, your family is interested in learning more about home care assistance. How does it work?
You Decide How Much Care Is Needed
Before you even get started, figure out how much help your dad needs. Is he okay on his own for several days a week, or is he in need of help every day? How complex are his care needs?
If your dad can’t cook meals, he’s going to need help every day. If he’s okay cooking meals, but has a hard time doing the laundry, weekly caregiver visits may be enough. Sit down and consider where your dad needs help and how often those chores are completed.
Once you have a list, start discussing who can help. Do you stop by every weekend for a few hours? Do you spend an entire day with him? In reality, is this schedule feasible or are you burning out?
Arrange Caregiver Visits
Once you’ve decided how often your dad needs help and what he needs help completing, you’ll schedule caregiver visits. Talk to an advisor and answer the questions. You’ll need to talk about the things your dad can and cannot do on his own. You’ll discuss his health and home situation.
If there are family caregivers who stop by regularly, make that known. As you go over what he needs, where he currently has help, and where the gaps are, you’ll come up with a caregiver schedule and book services. Note the start date for home care services.
Caregivers Come to Your Dad’s Home
On the day a caregiver arrives, the caregiver shows up for the assigned shift and works through the daily checklist of things your dad needs help doing. If there are questions, you may want to be somewhere in the home.
Work from a home office and keep the door shut unless the caregiver asks for help. Additionally, if your dad is having a hard time adjusting, you can temporarily step in and help calm him down. Over the next few days, be less available. Start taking walks and leave your dad and the caregiver alone. Eventually, you can stay away, and your dad won’t mind.
The caregiver is there for the assigned time and leaves when the shift is done. If any concerns arise, the caregiver will report them, and you’ll get a call. At that point, additional care services can be arranged to ensure your dad has the care he needs.
If a caregiver is sick, a replacement caregiver is dispatched instead. In any case, your dad is not at risk of being left alone. When someone is due to help for the day, there will be a caregiver at his home for the allotted time.
Call an Advisor
The best way to get started is by talking to an expert in home care assistance. So, call an agency and ask to talk to an advisor. Have a list of questions and concerns available to ensure you don’t overlook anything your dad needs as he gets older and his health changes.
Amelia Home Care provides traditional Home Care Assistance services, along with virtual caregiving and remote patient monitoring. Our service area includes Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Yonkers, and Westchester County. Call today at (929) 333-3955.
We proudly provide non-medical home care services to individuals with disabilities, injuries, difficulties with mobility, or illnesses. Our team is composed of highly trained and competent staff members who are dedicated and experts in delivering home care services in the comfort of our client’s home.
Through our personalized care plan, we can give you the needed care services that are all intended to cater to your unique personal and health needs. With us, we ensure around-the-clock services and supervision to help you achieve optimum health and wellness.
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