Home care for elderly mom -- recommendations?
My mother lives with us (and our almost-five-year-old). She's been afraid to leave the house since COVID hit in 2020 and, unsurprisingly, her health has suffered, particularly her mobility. I think I'm at the point where I need help with her personal needs. If she falls in the shower, for example, I don't think I'm strong enough to lift her up. She is uncomfortable with strangers, so we're going to need someone who is very sensitive to that. Thankfully, she does have long-term care insurance, so I'm looking for recommendations for an organization that can send someone to the house occasionally (once a week? once every two weeks?) for help with personal care (and making a friend wouldn't hurt either). Thanks.
Jan 12, 2023
Parent Replies
If you just need occasional help at the moment, I would recommend an agency. The downside is that the personnel varies, but you don't have to handle scheduling/payroll and given that your mom doesn't need fulltime care yet, you could have a couple people come and see who might be a good fit. We worked with 24 Hour Home Care, which is a pretty large agency, and it worked for us. My recommendation is to start working with caregivers before you think you really need them, because that way you and your mom already have a relationship with the caregiver and your mom is comfortable before/if they need more help. I can't tell you what a difference it made for my mom to have someone else to talk to other than me! Depending on what level of coverage her insurance will cover, I would say use the max amount of time that they'll reimburse.
You mentioned your mom has developed mobility issues, has she received any Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy? If she is homebound, she can usually receive these kind of therapists through Home Health. The Physical Therapist can develop a home exercise program that will help to strengthen and hopefully make her less of a fall risk. The Occupational Therapist can assist her with performing activities of daily living and energy conservation. Also do you have equipment like a shower chair or mobility devices such as a cane or walker to assist with ambulation? If she is on Medicare, that usually covers a walker or cane, but not the shower chair. I’m not sure where you are located. If you are near Walnut Creek, please contact me and I can provide some names of caregiving agencies in the area. Thanks and best of luck to you