What Is Senior Home Care?

Senior Home Care is a growing industry in the United States. As the baby boomer generation ages the need for in-home care for senior citizens is on the rise. Senior Home Care is non-medical care provided by a home care professional. Typically the case involves assistance with everyday activities including housekeeping, eating, bathing, dressing and medication reminders. Senior Home Care workers are trained to perform their duties; however they are not trained in providing any type of doctor-prescribed medical care.

When choosing an agency to assist you in your Senior Home Care needs it is important to thoroughly check references and the history of the agency. In addition you will want to confirm that they comply with all State and Federal requirements for providing home care and, if necessary, the agency should also fulfill Medicaid requirements. A reputable agency will be more than happy to provide you with all this information, including a list of current and previous clients.

Besides securing the above information from your agency, you should also check into their policies requiring the individuals they employ as caregivers. Most companies will subject potential hires to a thorough background examination including a check on their criminal history. Remember that this person is going to be working closely with a loved member of your family and will not always be under the watch of other family members. As part of the hiring process you should be entitled to a one-to-one interview with your assigned caregiver prior to introducing them to their intended care recipient.

The individual entrusted to be your Senior Home Care provider will become an intimate part of your family member's life. A necessary sense of trust and security will be expected in order for the relationship to work. Prior to their first day of service you will want to spend a day shadowing the caregiver and helping them become familiar with the daily routines of the senior citizen they will be working with. Many seniors may be a bit apprehensive at first to the situation and it is important that the service provider remain as unobtrusive as possible. By allowing the senior to perform any functions to the best of their abilities, without interference, the caregiver will be looked at more as a companion and friend and less as a babysitter.

Now that the hiring process is complete, a schedule for care needs to be established. Most Senior Home Caregivers provide about three hours of assistance a day, depending on the individual situation. There are circumstances when a caregiver is hired for an overnight stay or twenty-four hour care, but this is not normally the case. As with any employee, a caregiver will occasionally need time off for personal situations, vacations or even illness. A back-up plan should always be in place for the time when this situation arises. A family member, neighbor, or close friend may need to step in and fill the role of caregiver for the day. The end result of hiring a caregiver to provide Senior Home Care should be meeting the needs of the senior citizen. In the end they are the person who will have the most interaction and spend the greatest amount of time with their caregiver. It is important that a healthy, happy relationship is established for the situation to be beneficial to all.

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