Assisted Living in Home Care - What You Need to Know

With age comes increasing difficulty managing the home and daily routine required. Assisted living in home care is an attractive option for those looking to age in place. Just a little bit of help can make all the difference and allow one to maintain their independence at home.

Even though we’re all experiencing longer and healthier ways of living, the day will come where your loved one needs help. Then concerns about senior assisted living care emerge. How do you identify if your aging relative requires assistance at home?   

You would prefer to arrange support for your loved one but still, grant him or her their independence. This way they can enjoy the environment where they’ve created a lifetime of memories, in their home.  

Assisted Living in Home Care - What is it?   

You need your parent or loved one to maintain their freedom and independence for as long as viable and continue living comfortably in their own home. In home assisted living or is developing into a favored option for aging in place, as it permits them to continue staying in the safety and convenience of their own home. The assistance provided for in home care supports caregiving duties that are usually carried out by family members. Repeatedly, your loved one may call for help with activities like keeping their household clean, operating their smartphones, opening jars, bathing, or driving.  

An in home caregiver can provided help with these activities. They can be scheduled as often as needed, from 24 hours/day to just a few hours per week. They can help with activities of daily living (ADL's) i.e. bathing, dressing and feeding or they can help prepare one to complete their ADL's on their own. This could include sorting and scheduling medication, meal preparation, laundry or light house cleaning.

Assisted living in home caregivers are useful for seniors who prefer to be cared for at home, but still, require ongoing care that household members and acquaintances cannot give. This way, seniors can age in the luxury of their own home. Most in-home care programs for aging in place consist of a combo of a sitter/caregiver and when needed, skilled health care providers such as nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists.  

24-Hour Care for the Elderly Tips and Suggestions for Relatives  

Relatives or close friends are often unsure about what to include on their itinerary when it comes to assisted care at home.   

It helps to begin by creating a list of everything their loved ones may need assistance with daily, weekly, or monthly. Try to see the whole picture to ensure they opt for the proper level of care. Include everything that they do on a regular basis, even if assistiance is not needed currently. At some point, help may be required for most if not all tasks.

Try to be aware how much help you or any other family member or friendly neighbor can offer. When it comes to long term, and ongoing assistance, the amount of help needed will likely increase.

Review the lists of daily monthly and weekly activities. This will give you a much better idea of the type and amount of assistance needed before contacting home care service. Then you can quickly determine what is best for your loved one in terms of senior assisted living in home.  

Assisted living in home - Understand their financial situation  

Before you decide whether assisted living in home is right for your loved one, you need to identify how each option would work with your budget.   

Figuring out costs for in home care isn’t always an easy task and is unique to each person’s needs, area, community programs and how frequent the family can render assistance. Doing so may involve a lot of time and effort. Still, it’s well worth planning for the foreseeable future to ward off undesirable scenarios where your loved one may unexpectedly run out of money.  

Overview of the Average Monthly Costs of in Home Care

• How many hours of care is needed to calculate the hourly rate of your caregiver?  
• Personal supplies  
• Supplies for the household  
• Laundry and housekeeping  
• Property taxes and rent or mortgage  
• Transport costs  
• Yard and home maintenance costs  
• Waste, utilities, and water  

How Will You Know if Your Parent or Loved One Require Assistance with Aging in Place?  

As your father or mother age, they may require assistance. Opting for assisted living in home care enables them to live independently for a more extended period.   

What are some of the signs that will show your relative needs assistance with daily activities? Consider these questions that will help you determine if your senior needs assistance to remain safe at home.   

• When you visit your loved one, do you find that they are often wearing the same outfit?   
• Are they able to accurately administer their medication? Do they forget to take or refill their prescriptions?   
• Is your loved one incapable of maintaining the cleanliness of their house, yard, or property?   
• Do they present with the symptoms of dehydration? Do they avoid water due to inconvenience of toileting or incontinence?
• Do you notice any bruising to show they may experience incidences of falling or bumping into furniture?   
• Do they skip meals? Look for signs of uneaten or spoiled food in the refrigerator.

If you said “yes” to any of the questions listed over here, it might be in your loved one’s best interest to opt for assisted living in home care. Initially, it may require only a few hours a week to set them up for success with their daily routine.

That's all for today.

Take care, keep mom safe and have a great day!

Winn

Articles of Interest:

1. COMPLETE GUIDE TO AGING IN PLACE
2. AGING IN PLACE VS. STEP UP IN CARE MODEL
3. YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TOOL AS A CAREGIVER