Determining the Frequency of Home Helper Visits for Your Parent

As your parent ages, you may start to notice increasing challenges at home, from trouble getting to appointments to trouble paying bills on time. Early on, you may simply need a caregiver to come in for an hour or two a couple of times a week to help with basic tasks. As your parent's capability decreases, you may find yourself needing an in-home caregiver to be present more often. Just how often does a home helper need to visit?

A professional assessment can help give you a better idea of exactly how much home-based assessment your parent needs. As you're considering your options, make sure you take these criteria into consideration.

What type of illness does your parent have?

Start with a look at the illness or ailment that has caused your parent to need in-home care in the first place--and consider how far it has progressed. For example, if your parent has Alzheimer's or dementia, in the early stages, your parent may need only occasional assistance. As the illness progresses, however, your parent may need a caregiver who is present most or all of the day in order to prevent potential risks like leaving the stove on, wandering off, or forgetting to eat.

You may want to talk with your parent's doctor about the level of care recommended for your parent. In many cases, a doctor may be able to tell you exactly how much care your parent needs and how you can ensure that your parent has the right care providers on hand.

What is your parent's current activity level, and what does your parent need help with?

As you consider how often a home health provider should visit your parent, take a look at your parent's current overall activity level and the activities that your parent needs help with. For example, in some cases your parent might remain relatively active. You might be dealing with a temporary setback due to minor illness or injury, or you might simply note that your parent is starting to need more help with some tasks around the house. Your parent might need help with in-home physical therapy, for example, which would require a few visits a week of relatively short duration; or your parent might need help with some basic healthcare tasks.

Consider what tasks your parent needs help with and how often those tasks need to take place. For example, if your parent needs help with bathing, and routinely bathes every other day, you may want to have a caregiver come in for that task each day

What availability do you and any other helpers, like siblings and friends, have?

As your parent ages, it's time to draw your community around you. Does your parent have able-bodied friends who are able to come in and provide some support and assistance? A family member who will help by delivering meals? What about your siblings: are they in the area and available to help?

Check your own schedule and consider how often you're really available. If you commit to being on hand each day for medication administration, it's important to make sure that you actually have that room in your schedule, and that you're prepared to adjust your plans if necessary. Be honest with yourself about your availability, and encourage others who have offered to help to provide you with the same level of honesty so that you can better judge exactly how much assistance you need.

Arranging for in-home assistance is a critical part of ensuring that your parent has the support they need as they age. Senior Helpers Overland Park can assist you in determining what level of care would be beneficial to your family. Contact us today for a free in-home assessment to learn more about our services and how we can provide vital assistance and support as your parent ages.