Our Ask An Angel correspondent is Re Kielar, Life Care Navigation Specialist in the area of senior home care.
Q. When I started caring for my elderly mother, I felt confident that I could be the caregiver she needed me to be. However, I quickly learned that I canāt do it all. I am considering day care or homecare. What is the best way to go?
A. I am happy to hear that you are considering your options regarding your motherās care. I am also happy that you have realized your limitations and doing your homework as well! One of the best tidbits Iāve heard from professional caregivers is to āknow yourself.ā You are taking a great first step by implementing āself-careā to avoid burnout, which is so prevalent when providing care to our loved ones. If you havenāt already, I recommend having a conversation with your mother to let her know you are learning about ways to help her and yourself with her care. Include her in the process! As you research adult day care and home care options, learn what the center offers by asking questions. Ask about licensing, staffing, programs offered, supervision, etc. How do they keep their seniors socially active and how do they monitor activities? Where is their 911 hospital located? Do they provide meals and snacks? Do they assist with toileting? This is just a sampling of questions to ask. Tour the center and make sure you use the same comparisons with other centers so that you can make a good decision. The same holds true with learning about home care agencies. When it comes to home care, make sure the agency is properly licensed and that employees are bonded and insured. Options in home care can vary in terms of service such as hourly rates, live-in, sleep over, mornings, midday, and evenings, temporary or long term, weekends and holidays. Home care is quite unique. There really arenāt two home care clients that have the exact same needs. Find out if the agency has a minimum hourly requirement. There are other important considerations such as the types of background checks conducted, along with knowing the entire vetting process for their employees. Make sure the agency has been established and in business and has a good track record of how their services is rated in the community. Do they have enough staff to handle call-offs or when a provider is ill? Again, make a list of questions to refer to so you can compare agencies fairly. If you have access to social media, it can be a tool to help you with your research. Today, there is a great deal of information on topics to help families navigate home care. Being a caregiver is a tremendous responsibility. I am glad to see that you are doing your homework and trying to make arrangements that will suit your motherās needs in the best way. This is one responsibility you donāt have to handle alone.
Have a question for our angel correspondent? You can send our angel an email to rkielar@visitingangels.com or send your question via mail to Ask an Angel, 65 Woodbury St., South Elgin, IL 60177.
