If you are the primary caregiver for a loved one and are finding the demands of being the only caregiver to be too high, it might be time to consider home care services that will help relieve some of the burden that is now placed entirely on you.  There’s an important distinction to be made between home health care and (non-medical) home care; the first concerns medically-based care such as nursing, physical therapy and respiratory therapy.  This type of home care is more expensive than the non-medical types of home care since the providers have to be educated and certified in most circumstances.  If this is not necessary in your case, there are lots of different types of home care that can be utilized at a lower cost (and some that are covered by Medicaid and insurance).

Non-medical home care can either focus on housekeeping tasks such as cooking and cleaning so that you, the primary caregiver can spend time with the aging person, taking care of the person and socializing together.  Another option is to hire someone to be a companion for the aging person part of the day or even the full day.  This person can engage in games and conversation with the patient, work on puzzles together or go for walks if the person is mobile enough.  These types of home care are ideal for primary caregivers who are either working full or part time but do not want their loved one to be alone, or caregivers who simply have too much on their plate.

Home care workers of a non-medical nature can be hired through an agency or can be simply found online or in newspaper listings.  Of course, if you do not use an agency to find a home care provider, you’ll want to do a thorough background check in order to ensure that the person coming into your home is trustworthy and has a good track record.

Sometimes home care professionals come to your house every day for a few hours or sometimes they are hired for the entire week, so your home is the only one in which they’re working at a given point in time.  Additionally, there are home care workers who live in with the elderly couple, which can be an added benefit for both parties.  In this type of situation, the employee benefits by not having to rent a home or apartment and not having to travel to work, and the employer benefits in having their caregiver close by at all times.  The fact that the caregiver lives in should not be abused. Make a working schedule together and expect both parties to stick to it. A caregiver who is not on working duty, but in the house, can give an aging caregiver a feeling that support is there whenever they need it.  In a household where an elderly person can fall at any moment and the primary caregiver is just as old as the patient, having a younger employee in the house can make all the difference in the world.

In addition to these standard working situations for full and part-time home care givers, there’s the option of respite care.  Respite care is a special, round-the-clock type of in-home care where the respite caregiver is responsible 24 hours a day.  This can go on for a day or for a period of time, for example if the primary caregiver becomes ill and cannot take care of their loved one for a few days while they get better or perhaps the caregiver has to go out of town for a few days.  Respite care is an option that offers constant care, the same as a spouse or child offers in-home care.

If you are a primary caregiver with too much work on your hands, checking out some in-home care options might prove to be the smartest step you can make.

Thanks to better healthcare and information about nutrition and healthy diets, people are living longer and this means a growing population of seniors. With the increase of seniors comes an increase in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and many other ailments that normally strike that age set. Not only do these illnesses prove debilitating to the person but the ripple effect extends to the family who now must take care of them. There are millions of people who are trying to juggle a career with children, their ailing loved one’s caregiving and other obligations.

You may seem alone in your caregiving duties but many studies show that at least 25% of all households in the country are caring for an ill loved one, usually a parent 55 years of age or older. These loved ones either need full-time caregiving, daily assistance for everyday tasks or somewhere in between. About 40% of caregivers in this country work outside the home so this means they are sacrificing their free, relaxation time to care for a loved one and are even losing quality time with their spouse and children. Work productivity goes down because of time off from the job to devote to caregiving, a reduction of hours or even having to quit altogether. This leads to loss of income and less money being invested in their retirements. You may be part of this group who is playing juggler too. While there is legal acts like the Family Medical Leave Act which helps keep your job secure (if unpaid) when you need to take time off to tend to the caregiving of a loved one.

If you are a juggler and feeling increasingly tired of all the obligations, there is a wealth of community resources available to help you in your quest to provide the best care possible for your loved one. From casual arrangements with neighbors, family and friends to structured care in nursing facilities, there are many options available to you.

Assessing your Loved One’s Caregiving Needs

Examine your daily schedule to see where you need help the most when caring for your loved one. Is it while you are at work? Perhaps you have obligations in the evenings with your kids and need help during that time. Know up front what you need before enlisting help. Also, you need to consider what type of care your loved one will need. Do they need 24-hour supervision due to dementia? Can they get around in the home and just need help with errands and transportation? Do you need other around the clock nursing care?

Once you have an idea of the type of care your loved one needs as well as the scheduling, consult with your loved one’s insurance company to see what type of coverage is available for nursing, caregiving and other  services. Long-term care insurance is usually not included in most regular health plans so you may have to see what you could afford to supplement the caregiving.

Finding those Resources

When your caregiving and that of friends and other family is not quite enough, you can turn to community resources to fill in the gaps. From in-home care to just daily visits from a home care companion, there are a number of options – and some even offer transportation so your work day is not interrupted.

In-home care is usually contracted through an agency, particularly if your loved one is dealing with an ailment that requires constant care or specialized training from a nurse or licensed medical attendant. There are agencies you can go through if you are hiring a companion for your loved one or you could even put an ad in the paper and interview candidates.

Adult day cares are an option if you must work and need a daily outlet for your loved one. These day cares offer everything from specialized care for dementia patients to activities such as games, crafts, exercise and more. Some programs serve lunch and some don’t while others may have pick-up to and from the home.

When you can no longer handle the caregiving duties on your own, there are nursing and assisted living facilities, depending on the level of care needed as well as group homes when 24-hour specialized care is needed. You must evaluate your situation from the health of your loved one to what you can and cannot handle care-wise. Finances and insurance are also issues that must be dealt with. If you can plan ahead with your loved one before they get sick or develop some type of impairment, it will be much better for you later when you have to deal with it.