How to Start Home Care for a Loved One

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Most seniors prefer to stay in their own homes, but sometimes it can be difficult when they live by themselves and need daily help. Home care can promote dignity and independence for individuals to enable them to live in their home with professional assistance. Our caregivers provide necessary and dedicated care to help older adults maintain their daily routines and continue doing the things they have enjoyed in the past . . . with a little help from an Angel.

If you’re interested in finding quality and compassionate home care services for your senior loved one, we encourage meeting with a Visiting Angels care coordinator as the first step to discuss family and/or client needs. This meeting includes a detailed review of care needed, the requested schedule (if known), specific wishes of the family or client, and any other concerns.

The initial meeting provides an excellent opportunity for you to ask questions, and it enables the home care agency to become acquainted with you as well. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about the decisions you need to make, we’ll provide expert guidance and recommendations throughout the entire process to give you peace of mind.

Types of Home Care

At Visiting Angels, we offer four types of home care. During the initial consultation, we will discuss which type of home care will best suit your loved one or client. We offer companion care, personal care, respite care, and specialized home care.

Our Companion Care provides light housekeeping and help with caregiving tasks but is best suited for seniors that can do a variety of things on their own. Senior citizens who don’t need advanced assistance with their daily routine can benefit from the added safety of having a companion.
Personal Care includes all the basic caregiving duties of companion care but also offers help with bathing, grooming, and moving around. This care plan is best suited for seniors with chronic conditions who may not be able to do many daily activities on their own.
Our Respite Care is perfect if you are currently the primary caregiver for your loved one but need to pursue other obligations with your family and job. It will allow you to continue your daily routine while trusting a caregiver from Visiting Angels to be the primary caregiver to your loved one.
Specialized Home Care is for senior citizens that have health conditions, like Alzheimer’s and dementia, that need specialized care. We can provide a caregiver to give them the particular care they need while also attending to household and daily routine needs.

Common Home Care Topics

The following home care issues are commonly discussed during initial meetings:

Physical Care Needs

Specific care assistance will be determined for your loved one’s needs. Home care requests may include bathing and grooming, dressing, meals and diet, mobility, incontinence, etc.

Emotional Care Needs

Your loved one will receive elderly companion care that includes social interaction, activities, hobbies, conversation, appointments, and camaraderie.

Schedules

A specialized program will be tailored to meet your schedule as well as your loved one’s, who may need help with sleep, eating, and medicine reminders.

Homemaking Assistance

If your loved one is unable to tend to housework or needs a little assistance, we’ll develop a program that includes preparation of meals, groceries, linens, laundry, and light housekeeping.

Logistics

We’ll cover everything you need to know about the home care process, such as schedules, access to the home, documentation, and the details of how to work with scheduling changes, the office, or the caregivers.

What Happens After the Initial Consultation?

After the initial consultation, we’ll finish these four things to complete your specialized caregiver program.

Establish a Schedule

We’ll establish a schedule for a caregiver to come to your loved one’s home. The schedule will be made based on how often and when you need a caregiver for your loved one. The schedule will take into consideration your loved one’s needs and routines, in addition to your schedule and budget.

Whether you need someone there during the day or need someone to care for them at night, we’ll work out the perfect schedule for your needs.

Finalize the Care Plan

Once we have set a schedule based on your needs, we’ll finalize your personal care plan.

Arrange a Nurse Visit

After your personalized care plan is final, we will arrange a visit with a nurse, who will go over the care plan. The nurse will make sure the plan aligns with any medical directives for your loved one, which will ensure they are getting exactly the care they need.

Match Your Loved One with a Caregiver

Once the plan is set and a nurse has reviewed it, we will be able to match your loved one with a caregiver. Sometimes, they may be matched with more than one. We work to find the perfect caregiver to match with your loved one because the relationship between the senior and caregiver is crucial. At Visiting Angels, all our caregivers are patient, compassionate, and dedicated to providing the best care and relationship to your loved one.

Contact your nearest home care location today or call 800-365-4189 with any senior home care questions. Our home care assessments are offered free and with no obligations.

*Each Visiting Angels agency is a franchise that is independently owned and operated. The Franchisor, Living Assistance Services Inc., does not control or manage the day-to-day business operations of any Visiting Angels franchised agency.