Making the Most of Your Home Care Experience

After discussing the situation with your family, you’ve decided to start professional in-home care. Now the real work begins as you develop a plan of care and strategize how to maximize your home care investment. Fortunately, making the most of your home care experience is possible by doing some research and taking the right steps. If you haven’t finalized your home care plan yet, using these tips will help ensure that you receive the quality care you deserve.

Determine How Much It Will Cost

Contrary to what you might think, Medicare will only pay for home healthcare (with limits) but not for most elective, non-medical home care services. As a result, before “signing on the dotted line” with any home care provider, be sure that you understand their billing practices (hourly, weekly, etc.) and payment options.

Prioritize Your Caregiving Needs

Based on the home care provider’s initial care assessment, compile a prioritized list of your caregiving needs by ranking them in order of importance. For instance, you may want to eat healthier or get out of the house more to exercise or socialize with friends and family.

While compiling your home care wish list, don’t forget to plan for contingencies in the event your condition would happen to grow worse. You can also use this same approach to prepare for long-term objectives, such as advance care planning, estate planning, financial planning, or making funeral arrangements.

Use a Team Approach

Although most agency-supplied caregivers are well-trained to perform a variety of non-medical in-home services – including personal care, light housework, and meal preparation – there will be times when they aren’t there.

Starting with your professional caregiver, form a caregiving team comprised of trusted family members, community volunteers, and friends. Take an inventory of all the resources at your disposal and assign tasks based on each member’s time and talents.

Based on your knowledge, recruit healthcare specialists like doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, dieticians, and pharmacists to fill in any remaining caregiving gaps. Eldercare experts, including elder law attorneys, benefits counselors, financial advisors, and certified public accountants, can also be invaluable additions to any care team.

And finally, a geriatric care manager can offer invaluable insight for organizing, monitoring, and facilitating an eldercare plan as your needs become more complex.

Communicate Openly and Often

In keeping with the last point, communication is always key when partnering with a home care provider. Don’t hesitate to ask your caregiver or their supervisor for periodic updates on your condition and changing needs. Once you’ve discussed your health status, share what you’ve learned with friends and family.

Most reputable home care agencies will provide periodic updates and offer caregiving advice – for instance, ways to modify your residence to create a safer and more comfortable living environment.

Adjust Your Care Plan when Needed

In addition to requesting updates from your home care provider, don’t hesitate to personally assess how well the services are going. Be sure to ask your kids for advice, along with other vested family members and friends.

If the current caregiver is failing to adequately meet your needs – or your personalities don’t click – discuss the situation with a supervisor so they can find you a suitable replacement.

Fill in Any Remaining Caregiving Gaps

If your eldercare plan still has holes, fill them with outside resources like informal caregivers, a meal delivery service, an online pharmacy, a ride-sharing service, or adult day care. Your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) can also be an invaluable resource for locating senior services you may otherwise not know about.

Family Trusted Home Care for Seniors in Naples, FL

Locating a trustworthy provider that offers the home care services you need can be stressful. Restore your peace of mind by contacting the caring home care professionals at Home Instead. Conveniently available in Naples, Fort Myers, and Charlotte Country, FL, our senior care services help to enhance the aging experience by providing practical support at home delivered with a human touch.

Our reliable in-home solutions help aging adults stay engaged in everyday life with tailor-made support to stay safe and well at home. At Home Instead, it is always our mission to provide a care plan personalized to your family’s needs – bringing you all comfort, companionship, and peace of mind. To learn more or schedule a time to talk with one of our home care specialists, please visit us at www.homeinsteadswfl.com.