As your loved one ages, you and your family face many big decisions. Often, seniors need more assistance in their home than the family can provide. In this situation, an in-home senior care aide can offer support that allows your loved one to remain as independent as possible. Services can range from simple companionship to full-time senior care.
The decision of whether it’s time for elder care is a delicate one for you and your family. To make the transition easier, we have gathered our most vital tips on how to plan for in-home care, including creating a care plan and preparing the home.
Before You Start Care: 3 Crucial Conversations
Holding three essential conversations will help the transition to home care go more smoothly. In these discussions, you can align goals, address contingencies, and start building your care circle.
Plan for “What ifs”
Start talking about the “what ifs” before issues arise. Making a plan will help reduce anxiety and any family conflicts. Discuss things like medical and financial power of attorney (POA), determining who can make decisions aligned with your loved one’s wishes in medical or financial matters if the senior cannot do so. Also discuss advance directives, which are legal documents specifying the types of care your loved one wishes to receive, or not receive, and which take effect if your loved one cannot communicate on their own.
Bringing in an estate planning or elder care attorney can help set expectations and plan for the future. Although many people have a will, it often has not been updated in years. An attorney with expertise in this area can help your loved one prepare both a living and a standard will and ensure that your family is prepared for whatever may come.
Understand the Senior’s Priorities
Check in about your loved one’s goals to learn how to support them best. What matters most: independence, maintaining routines, continuing activities they enjoy, socializing? Also ask about deal-breakers. These conversations will help center your loved one’s needs in the process of starting home care, helping them feel more invested and on board with these changes. When talking about starting elderly care, be empathetic and let them know you want to find a solution that works best for them.
Call a Family Meeting
Hold a family alignment meeting to outline roles, budget, and communication guidelines related to your loved one’s care. All siblings and other family members need to be aware of what is going on. Bring doctor’s notes showing evidence of health decline, proof of cognitive issues, or reports of falls. Highlight your loved one’s goals as well, framing the conversation around how to meet them. This will help other family members understand your loved one’s needs for support. You might even ask your doctor to write a letter describing your loved one’s needs, even if it’s just basic meal prep and help around the house.
Bring your loved one into the conversation, too. Keep things calm, and listen to what they have to say. Assure them that any changes you make together won’t take away their independence; instead, they’ll allow your loved one to stay in their home, where they feel comfortable. For example, hiring a caregiver can help keep them healthier and out of the hospital, while also providing companionship. Starting to bring in a caregiver slowly will acclimate the senior to this change and encourage them to accept the help. Some may feel embarrassed about needing the help at first, but with the right fit and a gradual transition period, they’ll probably realize how much it will benefit their lives.
Creating a Personalized Care Plan
Design a personalized care plan tailored to your loved one’s needs. A care plan integrates input from all care providers as well as your loved one’s goals and preferences. Here’s how to start laying out this plan.
- Outline your loved one’s health conditions and how their care team is responding to them. Specify which medications they take, and when.
- Specify how your team will provide daily and weekly support through things like meal prep, transportation, and accompanying your loved one on walks.
- Create a calendar that blocks out daily tasks, appointments, and excursions.
- Provide contact info for all care team members, including medical practitioners, family members, and other caregivers.
Update your care plan whenever your loved one’s needs change, reviewing it with the team.
Home Safety Checklist for Aging in Place
Once everyone is on board with hiring an in-home caregiver, it’s time to prepare the home itself. A quality home care agency will send out a nurse to conduct an assessment of the client as well as the home. The nurse will make suggestions for any assistive devices or home modifications that can help keep your loved one safe and comfortable. Here are some points to focus on as you start preparing your home.
Entryways and Hallways
Pick up any throw rugs that could cause falls, and purchase low-profile mats that have non-slip material on the underside. Place nightlights in areas where the senior might walk at night, or add motion-sensing lights.
Living areas
In living areas, eliminate clutter and ensure there’s a clear path for walking. As with hallways, replace any throw rugs with low-profile, nonstick mats. Consider placing lights on a timer that lets them automatically dim or brighten, depending on the time of day. Make sure coffee tables have rounded edges, in case of a fall, and ensure that seniors can easily stand up from couches or chairs.
Bathroom
Install a toilet with a higher seat to make standing up easier. Have grab bars professionally installed in your shower, and add support rails by the toilet. Use a shower chair or transfer bench and nonslip flooring in the shower. You could also consider installing a walk-in shower. Place a nightlight in the bathroom as well.
Bedroom
Make sure the mattress is at a height that allows the senior to easily get into and out of bed. Consider installing a bed rail to help avoid falls. Have a bedside lamp that the senior can easily reach—ideally, one that turns on by simply tapping it. Make sure there are several sets of clean linens and towels available, in case of accidents, too.
Kitchen
Clearly label kitchen shelves, or install clear cabinets so your loved one can easily see what’s in them. Throw away any old food in the refrigerator periodically. Choose kitchen devices with safety features, like smart burners and electric tea kettles that turn off automatically. Organize items to keep them in easy reach, too. This will help reduce the risk of falls.
Provide antibacterial soap, paper towels, cleaning supplies, and gloves for the caregiver to use. Store them in a location, like a locked cupboard, if concerned about your loved one’s safety around cleaning supplies.
Stairs and Outdoors
Put non-stick flooring material on stairs and outdoor areas that could be slippery. Place handrails on both sides of the stairs. Put eye-level decals on glass doors, so seniors don’t accidentally walk through them. Clear outdoor walkways when it snows and treat them with a product that melts ice.
Finally, keep a list of important contacts and phone numbers in an easily accessible spot. Have tools in place to help you respond to a potential fall or health crisis, like a smart medical alert system. Also install smart alert systems for smoke and carbon monoxide detection that provide verbal instruction (rather than chimes).
Consider installing smart home technologies that help monitor seniors’ health and safety, too. Systems that include cameras can help spot fall risks or show why a fall happened. If seniors are experiencing cognitive decline, they might not be able to relay the full story after a fall. If cameras are present, they may help the family understand how to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
Several common issues can create hurdles on the path to implementing home care. Be aware of these potential pitfalls so you can avoid them.
Overbuying Equipment
Don’t feel like you need to purchase every gadget on the market, which could quickly grow expensive, not to mention overwhelming. Choose the most essential ones—particularly those that serve multiple purposes, like smart technologies that provide health alerts and medication reminders.
Unclear Responsibilities
Without a clear calendar and breakdown of roles and duties, members of your care team may duplicate efforts—or worse, not show up when needed. Check in periodically to make sure you’re still on the same page and avoiding burnout.
Camera/Privacy Issues
Make sure your loved one understands that you’re installing a camera and/or sensors for safety purposes. Otherwise, a breakdown of trust can occur. Explain who has access to them and how they’ll be used (e.g., to review what happened in case of a fall or to impart health data to an AI-powered tool).
By maintaining clear communication and avoiding hasty purchases, you can steer clear of these common pitfalls.
Preparing to Adjust as Your Loved One’s Needs Change
As a senior’s needs progress, a home care agency and caregiver can make recommendations on how to adapt. Through technologies and other strategies for keeping your loved one safe and healthy, your care team can enhance their quality of life. Focus on continuing to provide a calm, supportive environment throughout life’s inevitable changes.
As you implement home care, take note of what works, or doesn’t work, and adapt as needed. Over the first month or so, your loved one and care team will begin establishing a routine and relationship that will support their overall well-being.
Not sure where to start? Schedule a free 15-minute nurse consultation to discuss your loved one’s needs with an experienced professional.
