As we grow older, we grow increasingly reliant on the kindness and dedication of professionals, family, and friends to aid us with tasks that we once performed independently and without a second thought. While the process of seeking out help can be a difficult and fraught choice, there are several considerations to make when selecting the elderly home care service with which you will be moving forward. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
What Kind of Care Will Your Loved One Need?
The first thing to know is whether your loved one will need assistance with basic personal care or will require more knowledge-based attention from a medical professional. If your loved one simply needs a hand with the basic aspects of a daily routine, from maintenance of personal hygiene to cooking and eating, you can stick with personal care providers. For more serious medical attention, such as checking vitals, medication allotment, and dispensing oxygen, a medically qualified home care assistant will be required, and you can find more information on that in an article specific to home medical care.
What Are the Expenses of Elderly Home Care?
While the benefits of elderly home care are innumerable, the cost can be prohibitively high for some. We all want to keep the best interest of our aging loved ones at heart, and cost should never stand in the way of being able to give your loved one the kind of personal assistance that they need as they grow older.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $9-$30 per hour, depending on where you live and the density of home care providers in your area. Urban areas, especially on the East Coast and West Coast, can be especially expensive, meaning that you might have to cut costs in other aspects as you manage your budget.
When it comes to managing and maximizing your limited budget, the best aspect of elderly home care is that most of the services offered by home care providers are on an as-needed basis. That means that you will only be paying for the specific services that your elderly loved one will require, such as personal hygiene maintenance and grooming, assistance with restroom needs, grocery shopping, or car travel to doctors’ appointments and social outings. This as-needed system is perfect for elderly people who only need help in very specific areas of their lives but remain independent in other areas, and this system will save you money in the long-run; those savings will add up when your loved one requires more elaborate medical attention in the future, so you’ll be thankful that you saved up your funds when it mattered.
Who Can Help to Find the Right Home Health Provider?
While the internet is your friend, anecdotal research is always helpful. It is recommended that you consult your doctors and your personal network, such as friends, family, acquaintances, and colleagues. This can be especially helpful for learning who not to trust with your loved one.
