Each individual has different needs, but there are some needs that are universal and need to be considered by the family looking for senior care for an elderly loved one. Some of these needs include the most basic activities of daily living: bathing, eating, walking, transferring, and using the bathroom. If your loved one needs help with something in these categories, you might want to consider getting an in home caregiver for your elderly loved one.
This is a big step and it is often an uncomfortable one. But having an in home caregiver can be a huge help to all parties involved. For one, it gives your loved one the help that they need to make it through the day safely. It also helps the families that might otherwise be forced to provide the care themselves. This is a huge benefit because it allows family members to continue working at their jobs and continue to earn an income. In home care is not a cop out, rather, it is a tool that you can use to enhance all of the people involved in the situation’s lives.
Having your goals for a caregiver outlined and written out on paper can be a stress reliever, too. Because you or your elderly loved one might be a bit nervous about having a caregiver coming over to the house, the checklist can act as a guide for the caregiver in order to ensure that all of your objectives are met on a routine basis. The checklist can include basic things such as dispensing medications at the correct times, bathing information, or it can list the meals and food that you want your elderly loved one to have that day. The checklist is an important communication tool because, not only does it help you to make sure that your relative gets the proper care, it is a way for the caregiver to let you know that they have fulfilled your wishes. By writing notes and checking off activities, the checklist method is a two-way mode of communication.
If your loved one has a more intense disability such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, stroke related impairments, or are unable to move around on his own, the checklist becomes much more important. This will help the new caregiver who might not be entirely familiar with your loved one’s situation to know exactly what to do on day one of their time there. Eventually, the checklist will become a daily memorized routine. The caregiver’s checklist can be reduced in this instance to just a daily note that you might want to leave for them to be aware of any specific different activities they might need to do. The caregiver can also leave you a note about how the day went.
