When you have an elderly parent that lives alone, you are likely worried about their health, safety, and well-being while they are in their home. As such, you might be looking into options for home healthcare agencies and caregivers to help your parent with their daily life. However, there is a big difference between just finding a caregiver and finding the right caregiver for your parent. Get to know some of the ways to choose the right home caregiver for your parent. Then, you can be sure that your parent is getting the best care possible from the right person for the job.
Determine Your Parent's Needs
The first step to finding the right home caregiver for your parent is actually to determine what exactly your parent needs from a home care service. Are they just in need of companionship and some light housework? Or do they also need help with bathing and going to the bathroom?
The level of care that your parent needs will be a major deciding factor in finding the right caregiver to help them out. Some caregiver services only provide very basic services while others offer a wide range. There are also agencies that provide non-medical care while others provide medical assistance, as well.
If your parent requires medical care for, say, an insulin pump or other device, it would be a good idea to hire a service that is capable of helping with that device if anything needs to be changed or adjusted. Legally, non-medical caregivers are not allowed to even attempt this type of assistance.
Find a Personality Match
While the types of services a caregiver provides is perhaps the most vital part of the caregiver decision-making process, finding a personality match is also quite important. You want someone coming into your parent's home that your parent will like and get along with. If your parent is perky and loves to sit and chat and socialize, you do not want to get them a caregiver that is shy and reserved and is not a good conversationalist. This will just create an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment for both parties.
Finding a caregiver that can get along well with your parent is key, and it may take some time. With home healthcare agencies, they will assign caregivers to your parent based on their beliefs that they will get along well with each other. However, if your parent complains or you both feel a match has not yet been made, do not hesitate to request a new caregiver.
Now that you know some of the ways to choose the right caregiver for your parent, you can start working with a home healthcare agency to get the right person to help your parent in their daily life.