After his last fall, you realize it’s time for your dad to have help. While his falls have been minor, you don’t want to get the call that his next fall was serious. It’s time for him to stop taking chances and accept a helping hand.
Home care assistance is needed, but you’re not sure where to start. Here are seven tips that help you plan home care services.
Gather the Family For a Talk
Who is directly involved in your dad’s care? Those are the people who need to be part of a conversation about his care needs. Gather them for a talk about what they notice he has to have help completing. What can he do independently?
Find Out What Your Dad Doesn’t Do Independently
As you build the list of things your dad does each week, build a list of the things he cannot do without help. This is the list of tasks a family caregiver is helping him do.
Plan Schedules and Look for Gaps
As a picture of your dad’s care needs is clarified, go over who is available to help out each week. How much time do those people have to invest in his care? Where are their gaps?
When there are gaps in the schedule, it’s important to make sure he’s supported during those times. That often means bringing in home care aides.
Investigate Your Dad’s Health Care Needs
You have an idea of what your dad needs right now, but how about in the months and years to come? If he has heart disease, his need for care may increase. If he has dementia, he’s definitely going to need increasing amounts of care in the future.
Explore His Social Network
Does your dad have a large circle of friends or has it shrunk over the years? After retirement, you may not see close co-workers as much. As people retire, they may start traveling the world or moving to areas where the cost of living is lower. Sometimes, older adults move to new states to be closer to their grandchildren.
If your dad’s social network has gotten smaller, who is left for him to talk to? Does he socialize at all anymore? As socialization is important to his mental and physical health, you need to make sure he’s not feeling isolated from others.
Talk to His Eye Doctor
Is your dad’s vision okay or does he have common eye conditions like glaucoma or cataracts? If his vision declines, will he have to stop driving? What does that mean for your family? Are people able to take time off to get him to medical appointments?
Ask Your Dad What He Thinks
Finally, ask your dad what he thinks would help him the most. If his goal is to remain independent, what does he least like doing? Where does he feel caregivers would be beneficial?
Use these tips to start a conversation with your family and then the home care assistance specialist. The more prepared you are with a list of questions, concerns, and goals, the easier it is to make sure your dad’s care plan is matched perfectly to his needs.
Source
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/planning-for-home-care
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Columbus, MT, call the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Billings today. 406-839-2390
