Initial Steps to Take When Arranging Senior Care Services

Your mom and dad need help at home. They’re ready for senior care services, but you’re not sure where to start. These are the initial steps to take when arranging care.

Go Over the Care They Think Would Help

Find a list of care services online and go over them with your parents. Ask what help they want. At the same time, talk to other family members to see what they think would help. They may see things you haven’t noticed.

Jot down suggestions and come up with a list of senior care services that cover everyone’s suggestions. Plan out the best schedule. Your parents may only need help with laundry once a week, but they need meals a few days a week. The rest of the week, there are family members available to help out.

See Who is Available

You may have siblings, cousins, grandchildren, and close family friends who are happy to help your parents now and then. If you have a cousin who wants to stop by and help every other weekend and grandkids who want to help out on days they don’t have college classes, that reduces the hours a professional caregiver is needed.

Come up with a schedule that everyone can access. Make it possible for people to note when they plan to help out. Have a system in place if someone is sick and needs to skip their usual time slot.

Call an Agency

Once you have a list, call a home care specialist and ask about the prices for the services that would help and the schedule you prefer. You may need to make adjustments to get the price to fit your parents’ budget.

The specialist may have other suggestions for services that you didn’t consider. If needed, take that new list and address the family again. Come up with a care plan together that is affordable and covers all of their needs. Get a list of questions together.

Call the agency back and ask those questions. Make sure your parents are part of the call as their opinions are most important. You need to make sure they’re involved in the decision-making. Concerns need to be addressed before you arrange the schedule.

Be Present for the First Week or So

Once arrangements are made, expect to make some adjustments. As your parents get to know their caregiver, there may be some nervousness and uncertainty. Be available without hovering. If there are questions or issues to address, it helps to have you working in another room rather than miles away.

Adjust schedules as needed. If your job requirements change, you may not be able to stop by after work. Make sure you let the agency know so that the caregiver is there to cook dinner. As long as you communicate with the agency, senior care services will help everyone in your family.