Research options before committing to care
Health concerns such as old age, disabilities, certain diseases and mental illness can make living on your own difficult or even impossible. This is when a caregiver, someone who helps a patient complete daily tasks while giving him or her the freedom to stay in his or her own home, can be helpful. For the elderly in particular, caregivers are becoming more common as people continue to live longer, especially in America.
In selecting a caregiver, companies like Home Instead Senior Care, serving Shreveport-Bossier and surrounding areas, specializes in care of arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as other diseases. They also work to match caregivers with seniors based on compatibility. Hospitals, such as Willis-Knighton in Shreveport- Bossier, also offer caregiving services. A multidisciplinary team, Willis-Knighton Home Health provides rehabilitation services, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. They specialize in disease and pain management, nutritional care, wound care and infusion therapy.
A 2015 study published in “Alzheimer’s and Dementia” found primary care providers should integrate the caregivers’ needs in healthcare planning and delivery. Patients should discuss the type of care they need from a caregiver with their doctor, keeping all medical planning open and transparent in order to assess needs and provide the best care possible. Some patients may only require a caregiver trained in basic medical skills, such as CPR, while other patients may require a fully trained licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. The study found “clinical interventions that treat patients and caregivers as a whole will likely achieve the greatest beneficial effects.”
The key component of home caregiving, as opposed to a hospital stay, is allowing the patient to maintain a sense of independence, boosting morale and spirit. A 2012 study in the International Journal of Older People Nursing found older people with home healthcare “need to exercise more self-determination and caregivers’ need for knowledge to enable this … a personcentered approach to focus on persons as individuals and see them as independent.”
If you opt to hire a caregiver independently rather than through a company or hospital, ensure she or he is qualified. Verify healthcare training to make sure it is up to date, and request a background check. Be clear about roles and goals for your caregiver, too. Websites such as Care.com make it easy to browse profiles of potential caregivers, including references and training and certification information. You can create a specific job posting to fit your needs, including salary, required training, experience and more.
Some insurance plans and Medicare/ Medicaid will help pay for home healthcare depending on your policy. The national median hourly rate for in-home care is $19 an hour, a 4.11 percent increase from 2013.
If you cannot afford to pay a caregiver, family members can also help with the home caregiving process. Remember, though, this can take an emotional and physical toll on families.
It’s important for caregivers as a whole to be aware of their mental health and ask for help when they need it, especially in helping patients with terminal illnesses. A 2015 study in Cancer, the journal of the American Cancer Society, found that caregivers needed a stronger support system.
“A substantial percentage of caregivers have unmet needs for support, mainly with regard to fears concerning the patient’s condition, receiving disease-related information, and emotional support for themselves. Prediction of unmet needs in caregivers from other clinical and psychological variables was rather poor. Therefore, by means of the frequency and disparity of caregivers unmet needs, they should be systematically assessed to direct specific offers.” The study specifically examined caregivers’ struggles with anxiety and depression.
Keep in mind that home health may not be an option for some more advanced diseases. These patients may need to consider assisted living or a nursing home in order to be cared for properly.
