Home

AARP Checklist Can Help You Choose the Best In-Home Care Options

Save as PDF

This week on the Blog, we’re focusing on in-home health care. If you’ve searched for care options, you’ve probably discovered that, while there’s plenty of information out there, some of it is pretty one-sided. That’s why we were attracted to this resource article from the AARP website. The article offers what we think is a simple, objective series of questions you and your family can use to help identify your best options for in-home health care.

If you’re investigating in-home care for a spouse, family member, or friend – or for yourself – this checklist should help steer you in the right direction.

In-Home Health Care: Flexible Options, Confusing Choices

“If your goal is to allow your loved one to continue to live independently at home —in-home care might be the best solution for your loved one and you,” the article begins, adding that in-home care has many flexible options based on hours of care, level of need, and budget.

The article presents the following questions to help you parse out the right care arrangement for your unique situation. Let’s dive in!

Question #1: What Kind of Help Do You Need?

There are many different kinds of in-home care professionals who can provide a wide range of services and help with a whole spectrum of needs. When thinking through your goals, consider whether you’re looking for someone to step in for a few hours while you’re at work, whether you need someone to fill in the gaps in your skills or comfort level, or something even more (or less) involved.  

A few services that in-home care professionals can provide are: help with hygiene (bathing, dressing, and similar activities of daily living), grocery shopping and meal prep, medication arrangement and/or help with medical equipment, coordination of doctor appointments, and household maintenance and chores. Make a clear list of the type of services you’re looking for; this will help narrow down your choices and make your final decision much easier.

Question #2: How Often Do You Need Help?

Every situation is different. While some people might need in-home care for only a few hours every day, others may need round-the-clock attention. If you’re not quite sure just how much help your loved one needs, consider the following questions:

1. What’s the extent and nature of your loved one’s needs? Are they general household chores, personal grooming, or companion services and activities that enhance their quality of life?

2. How often will you or others be available to provide similar services?

3. Are there times when you know you cannot be available to help?

Question #3: What’s Your Budget for In-Home Care?

As with most things related to health care, costs can vary widely depending on the level and frequency of need. The article provides the following questions to think through the affordability of the care you’ll need:

1. Will insurance cover any of the services? Check with your loved one’s insurance company to be sure.

2. Can you reduce the cost by asking family and friends to help provide some of the services needed?

3. Do local senior agencies or churches provide similar services, which might help offset some of the costs?

Question #4: What’s Your Health Care Comfort Level?  

An underrated topic of discussion when considering in-home care is the level of comfort that you and your loved one might have with welcoming a stranger—however professional—into your home and personal space.

The article invites you to start the conversation with two possible questions:

1. What role does your loved one perceive the caregiver will play in their day-to-day activities?

2. Does your loved one have concerns about receiving help from a non-family caregiver and have an idea of the type of person with whom they would be most comfortable?

Question #5: What Companies or Caregivers Meet Your Needs?

With all of the answers to the previous questions in your toolkit, it’s time to look for the right company and/or provider who fits your needs, budget, and expectations.

You can consider the following to help you narrow down your list:

1. How does a company assess your needs, and how are you matched with a caregiver?

2. How does the company vet their caregivers?

3. Is the caregiver an employee of the company or of the family that engages the caregiver?

4. Who is responsible for pre-screening and performing background checks on the caregiver?

As a final note, the article warns, “There is no national standard background check requirement in place for in-home care workers. Some states require nationwide criminal background checks, including fingerprint-based checks, on in-home care workers.”

Because of this, the article urges that you should discuss with the company about how it screens, trains, and supervises its care workers.

And finally, to ensure proper supervision of how the caregiving is going, it’s a good idea to ask if the caregiver will create a care plan, and—if so—how progress on the plan is measured and monitored. Also, find out how the caregiver plans to keep you informed of your loved one’s care? Do they utilize available technology, like a mobile app, to keep you up to date?

AARP has several more tips and resources for evaluating your needs and options for in-home care. This article from a few years back is a good place to start.

Rajiv Nagaich – Your Retirement Planning Coach and Guide

The long-awaited book by Rajiv Nagaich, called Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster, has been released and is now available to the public. Retirement: Dream or Disaster joins Rajiv’s ground-breaking DVD series and workbook, Master Your Future, as a powerful planning tool in your retirement toolbox. As a friend of AgingOptions, we know you’ll want to get your copy and spread the word.

You’ve heard Rajiv say it repeatedly: 70 percent of retirement plans will fail. If you know someone whose retirement turned into a nightmare when they were forced into a nursing home, went broke paying for care, or became a burden to their families – and you want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you – then this book is must-read.

Through stories, examples, and personal insights, Rajiv takes us along on his journey of expanding awareness about a problem that few are willing to talk about, yet it’s one that results in millions of Americans sleepwalking their way into their worst nightmares about aging. Rajiv lays bare the shortcomings of traditional retirement planning advice, exposes the biases many professionals have about what is best for older adults, and much more.

Rajiv then offers a solution: LifePlanning, his groundbreaking approach to retirement planning. Rajiv explains the essential planning steps and, most importantly, how to develop the framework for these elements to work in concert toward your most deeply held retirement goals.

Your retirement can be the exciting and fulfilling life you’ve always wanted it to be. Start by reading and sharing Rajiv’s important message. And remember, Age On, everyone!

(originally reported at www.aarp.org)

Need assistance planning for your successful retirement? Give us a call! 1.877.762.4464

Learn how 70% of retirement plans fail and what you can do to avoid this.

Find out more about LifePlanning

0
Your Cart is empty!

It looks like you haven't added any items to your cart yet.

Browse Products
Powered by Caddy
Skip to content