For caregivers considering home care as an option for your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), rather than moving him/her to a long term care facility, you may be happy to learn that there are many different options for home care.
Making the Decision for Home Care
Each family is unique in its need for assistance when it comes to caring for an elderly family member with AD. Here are some things to consider in making the decision to care for your loved one at home:
-Location of the home- do you live in a city near public transportation and resources or a rural area where you need to drive long distances to access care such as physicians’ appointments and medical supplies?
-How easy is your home to modify? Are there steps leading to the bedrooms and/or bathroom? Will modifications be large and expensive such as installing a home elevator or wheel chair lift or will there be simple changes required like adding safety gaits and removing knobs from the stove?
-What type of budget do you have to work with to pay home health staff and to afford things like wheel chair accessible bathrooms?
-Do you have a fairly large circle of friends and family living by to provide help and support?
-How far do you live from local facilities such as adult day centers?
-Are there community support services to help caregivers reach out for support and avoid isolation which could lead to depression?
-What is the level of functioning and level of care needed for your loved one?
In order to accurately consider what level of home care you really need, consider: the amount of support you have, the caregiver’s overall health, and family financial situation.
Learn more about caregiver’s topics by CLICKING HERE to sign up for our 25 topic Caregiver course at AlzUg.org today.
