Our Ask An Angel correspondent is Arlene Petersen, Certified Senior Advisor and Life Care Navigation Specialist in the area of senior home care.
Q. How do I really assess if I need help at home? My family keeps insisting I get outside help. I really don’t want a stranger in my home.
A. In my last article, we talked about how to choose a caregiver. Before you get to that stage, it is important to conduct an honest needs assessment to determine if you should seek home care assistance. Doing this means you are being proactive. This also means that you are still in charge.
Being proactive and examining your needs allows you to remain independent and enables you to work in partnership with a caregiver. Your family has your safety in mind, and typically that is the reason they may insist on having someone help you. At first, a caregiver may seem like a stranger, but I know from experience, once you find a caring person to come help you, that caregiver can become like one of your own family members.
There are many reasons people don’t want a caregiver. Sometimes it is just fear of the unknown. So let’s start with a few self-inventory questions.
The first area to assess is your Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). How are you doing with bathing, dressing, grooming, getting out of bed, walking, and eating a nutritious diet?
Next, take an inventory of your instrumental activities of daily livings (IADLs). This includes your ability to use the phone, go shopping, use transportation, manage money, do laundry, housework, and prepare meals for yourself.
The third area to examine is your physical abilities. How is your vision, hearing, perception, memory, dexterity, strength, energy, ability to drive, etc.? Other areas also include things that might seem embarrassing, but need to be considered, such as incontinence and bathing assistance. Medical issues and conditions come into play, and the ability to take medication is crucial. Taking them incorrectly can mean a trip to the emergency room.
Environmental safety is one of the areas many family members worry about and usually begins the conversation about getting help. How is your home set up? Is it safe, free of clutter, well-lit, in good repair? Can you reach things easily, do you have a need for grab bars? These are just a few questions about home safety.
If you would like a checklist to help you with your self-assessment, please call 847-429-0100. I will be happy to mail it to you.
Have a question for our angel correspondent? You can send our angel an email to apetersen@visitingangels.com or send your question via mail to Ask An Angel, 65 Woodbury St., South Elgin, IL 60177.
