Tough decisions seem to be made even tougher when the well being of someone that you love is on the line. This is why so many people dread having to secure senior care for an elderly parent. Regardless of your mom or dad’s circumstances, there are a few easy things to consider before finalizing your decision. Here they are, in easy checklist form, so that you can go through the process on your own and have a good idea of why you are doing what you’re doing.
1.) Evaluate Needs. This should always be the first step because it sets the tone and urgency for everything else that follows. If your loved one needs help right away, you need to find help right away. If needs are beginning to come up, but they are not yet urgent, you have some time to do a thorough search. Either way, you want the best care for their particular situation. Having a framework in place before this becomes an issue is the best approach, but not everyone does this. If you find yourself in this latter group, consultation with a doctor or senior caseworker will speed up the process.
2.) Find Matching Care. Now that you know what your parent needs, you need to find care styles that match it. The big three types of care are in-home care, assisted living, and skilled nursing. There are other types too, but most people fit into one of these three. In-home and assisted living are very similar in what they provide, but one takes place in the home, and the other in an independent home. Depending upon your parent’s preference, either can suffice if their needs are not severe.Just make sure that what you need is what you get. Getting too little care will cause safety issues, while too much ends up spending more of your money than you need to.
3.) Find the Best. Once you settle on a type of care, you want to find the best provider that you can afford. For example, there are a lot of in-home care providers out there, but not all of them are trustworthy. Look for an independent caregiver who has insured caregivers, complete with long term employees that have a reputation of loving the people that they help. This will make sure that you are placing your mom or dad in the trust of someone who has the same goal for your parent care that you do. It will help them to get the right care, and it will also help you to ease your mind when it comes to making sure that your family is as safe as possible.
4,) Evaluate. Now that you’ve begun care, you need to monitor it. Check in on your parent and make sure they are happy and as healthy as possible. Also, remember that needs change over time. Ensure that they haven’t progressed in severity so that the care you have enlisted is no longer keeping them safe. If changes are needed, make them.
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