Preparing for Elderly Home Health Care?
Are you thinking of caring for an elderly person in your own home?
Your mother? Your father? Maybe a grandparent? Someone you love that is not related?
Or are you thinking of moving into their home to provide the care they need?
Either way, you will need to be prepared.
There is a lot to think about. A lot to take into consideration. And even more to plan.
We will walk through this process together so you have the best head start you can before you begin this new venture in your life.
Take it slow if you can. Develop a checklist that can help you stay focused and organized.
Ask questions if you need. Utilize the
Contact Me Directly
form and your question will be answered in a timely, confidential manner. I will answer any question you pose to me regarding elderly home health care.
These subjects can be touchy and many elderly people are not comfortable sharing what they believe to be very private information, such as legal, medical and financial issues.
Talk with them and try to make them understand that you are putting together a file or packet that will assure that their needs, wishes and wants will be followed if by some chance they need help or can't speak for themselves.
There are many areas that need to be covered, everything from preparing legally, including understanding
abuse and neglect
, to
medical records
you need, to preparing yourself and your family for your new role.
Medical
What medical records do you need to have on hand? What tests or results do you need copies of in your possession?
Please click
here
for a full explanation of how to obtain medical records and what medical records you need to have on hand to provide to a hospital or clinic in case of an emergency.
Do you know how important it is to have an up-to-date list of all current medications and known drug allergies?
Click the link for examples and requirements for a
complete medication list.
Many times a patient was admitted to me from the hospital by a specialist (not their primary doctor) with an order that read:
"Continue home meds"
That's it. Now, I could search for those records, calling local pharmacies and hoping to reach their primary physician. But that could take anywhere from 1-3 days at times.
What if your loved one is on Digitalis for an irregular heart rate? Or Coumadin to thin their blood?
Without a current list from family members, the patient would MISS doses of some critical medications.
Legal Preparation
Do you understand your
legal obligations as a caregiver,
even when the person you are caring for is a family member?
Do you thoroughly and completely understand what
Elderly Abuse and Neglect
is?
Here is one quick example: You are not allowed to crush medication and "slip" it into mom's morning orange juice.
Do you understand what the rights of the elderly are?
Do you have legal paperwork on hand that allows you to make decisions for your elderly loved one in case of emergency?
Do you know and understand the role of Adult Protective Services?
Preparing Financially
There are many, many financial concerns you will likely be facing.
Is providing elderly home health care going to require your attention part time? Full time?
Are you quitting your job? Taking a leave of absence? Will your job allow you to work from home?
Do you need other ways of earning income at home?
Are you planning on taking advantage of Family Medical Leave Act?
Do you need new ideas for saving money while you care for your elderly loved one?
All these questions and more are answered here.
Caregiver & Caregiver Family Support
As you prepare for elderly home health care, you will be moving into a new role. It will be difficult for you, at best, to adjust from being child, grandchild or spouse, to also being a caregiver.
Does your husband or wife support you emotionally in this decision? And are they willing to help you along the way?
How do your children feel about having someone move into their home? How do they feel about your "divided" attention?
Will your friends be supportive?
Where can you find caregiver support groups in your area?
These issues and more will be be discussed here. You can both receive and provide information for other family members in exactly the same situation.
YOU CAN DO THIS!!
It just takes some planning and understanding. But with the information provided here, it can be an easier process.
Take a deep breath and begin this journey with the information and resources provided here.
Good luck and best wishes on your new journey.
It will be rewarding and frustrating at the same time.
You will find hidden gems, hidden nightmares and hidden hope.
You will draw on other people and in turn, help them.
If we learn from each other and lean on each other, everyone's journey will be easier and you will have more gems than nightmares.
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