Has the time come when your mom can no longer live alone without some help? Does she need some nursing assistance in her home as well? She is probably ready for some home health care services. She would love to maintain her independence as much as possible, and stay in her own home.
If she needs help with daily activities like hygiene, housekeeping and meals but doesn’t need daily nursing care, then she could use an in home care provider. Your mom may also need some transportation to attend doctor’s appointments, go shopping or attend social events. Transportation assistance can also be provided by the professional caregiver.
The only safe way to look for home care service is to go through a licensed agency. Hiring a private provider with no licensing and no accreditation puts undue risk and stress upon the elderly person and the family.
What level of care does your mom require?
The level of care that your mom needs to meet her everyday requirements is dependent upon her physical and emotional state. If she has several illnesses that need to be monitored and checked on a daily basis then a health care provider such as a Registered Nurse would be the right choice.
If your mom’s health issues do not need to be attended to within the home, but she can’t live on her own any longer, then there are several choices.
- Live-in caregiver: if your mom feels insecure sleeping in her home by herself at night, and needs care with daily activities of living during the daytime, this is the best choice for her.
- Hourly caregiver: if your mom needs a little help during the day a few times a week or even daily, this is a good choice.
- 24 hour-hourly care: if your mom cannot be left alone day or night and needs someone awake all night to look after her, this would be the choice. This one tends to be a higher cost than the others.
If you aren’t sure how much care your mom needs, a clinician or health care professional can help you to decide based on an assessment of your mom’s abilities. Then a health care plan can be formulated which will take into account any caregiving you and other families wish to provide (if you are able), and which days your mom needs a professional caregiver to come into her home.
For more information on the VA Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit that helps senior veterans pay for in-home care services, or if you have a general question about VA Home Care, please don’t hesitate to call Veterans Home Care at 888-314-6075
