Everyone wants to be part of the continued medical treatment of their loved ones. This is especially true of the elderly. Helping to make those choices is not just a responsibility, it is a privilege.
A home care (not to be confused with a personal care home) is something that can come as a choice in two ways. Either the patient was at a hospital and is being moved home or the patient is already at home and needs more care. Either way, there are some things that need to be considered when selecting a care home for you loved ones.
Insurance Coverage
Make sure that the insurance covers the home care. There are a wide variety of options for almost every insurance plan and it is important that the plan covers the cost of care delivered in a home environment. Do not think of it as the insurance company trying to make money, think of it as a puzzle that needs to be solved.
Read more about long term care insurance here: http://www.healthcare.gov/using-insurance/medicare-long-term-care/long-term-care/
At Home Situation
The type of care that is needed will depend on the type of home you’re in. If the person wants to continue to live by themselves, they will need a different type of care than if a family caregiver intends to live with them. Be aware that these may be the patients last few years and consider their state of mind and emotional well-being. No one wants to spend their last years confined to in bed.
Visiting Nurse
This decision will vary depending on the type of care that needs to be administered. Medications and managing those meds is important when choosing the right nurse. Whether or not the patient takes prescription meds only or if they need daily injections will determine the type of nursing required.
If there is going to be hypodermic or IV medication, then a more highly skilled type of nurse is not just preferred, but sometimes required by law. It depends on the circumstances and what is going on. Be sure that the person on site is qualified to handle whatever comes up.
Disruption of Lifestyle
One of the most important things to keep in mind is the state of the patient. This was mentioned earlier and it is important in different ways. Unless it has been legally determined that a person cannot make choices for themselves, it is within their right to refuse certain medical care.
If the patient is combative with the staff or feels overwhelmed by too many caregivers, then they may likely to end up with them running them out the door. Sometimes a well-placed single nurse is better than several.
Living Space
If you are considering a long term or even a live-in nurse, then make sure that there is enough room. Sometimes a larger place is needed near the end and even though there is an expense involved, it is something that is necessary.
There are many people that are fully willing to buckle down for a few months to get that new car, but then they wince at paying more for a place for their loved ones to live. It is all about priorities and the fact that no situation lasts forever.
And it’s important to remember that home care can often be the first step in senior care and can progress to assisted living and nursing homes. This elder care locater from Assisted Living Today can help you find senior housing for your loved ones.
Comfort Level
There comes a time when you have to stop fighting the inevitable. No one wants their loved ones to pass, but it is a fact of nature and many times it is the end to a continued existence of pain. There comes a time when it becomes more about making sure that they are in the highest level of comfort.
At that time, there should be more of an emphasis on the comfort of the loved one and the comfort of the patient. They should be in a place where they are going to get the most out of life and the most out of the end.
In the end, it is all about the time that we have we the family, both in life and in the end. We have just a few moments here and there and we spend far too much of that time trying to juggle this and this in order to make sure that we have everything the way we want it to be. Take the time to make things the best that they can be and then take the time to spend with those you love.