When is the best time for home care? It will vary from one family to the next. It also depends on what chronic condition or services the person needs. Here are the things you should discuss as a family when deciding if home care is right.
Have You Noticed How Well Your Parents Manage Normal Activities of Daily Living?
Activities of daily living (ADL) are self-care tasks you need to complete independently. It includes basic routines like getting showered and dressed, brushing your hair and teeth, and using a toilet. It also includes being able to use cutlery to eat, getting in and out of bed or on and off a chair or sofa.
Some older adults struggle with these tasks. When they can’t do them alone, they’ll need someone to help out. In some families, a family member helps out. Others can’t arrange enough hours as there is work, children’s needs, and responsibilities in their own home.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Are Another Thing to Consider
Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are also worth considering. These are important self-care tasks, but they’re on a different level to the standard ADLs. IADLs include tasks like cooking a meal, creating a grocery shopping list and going shopping, and scheduling and keeping appointments.
Someone can be completely able to feed him/herself, get showered and dressed, and use the toilet, but cooking that meal or driving to the store are issues. In that case, home care services can help.
How Easy Is Your Parents’ Home to Manage?
Older adults tend to stay in the home they raised their family in. Some may downsize, but many find it easier to stay in the place where the mortgage is paid off and the neighbors and neighborhood are familiar. The home may also become very large to manage.
Arthritis is a very common chronic health condition in the elderly. It can make it hard to climb up and down the stairs. If there are bathrooms, bedrooms, or laundry rooms on other floors, keeping all of the rooms in the house clean and completing laundry may be difficult.
Jot a list of the things you’ve all seen your parents struggle with. Once you have that list, you can call a home care agency to talk about the ideal schedule of services. Be sure to ask about prices, schedules, and how they match your parents to a caregiver.
If you or an aging loved one is considering homecare in Cherry Hills, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare Denver. Call today: (303) 756-9322.
