There are ways for older adults to get the care they need while still allowing them to maintain their daily routine. Companion care in Dunwoody is a type of service that allows caregivers to be with the client throughout the day, assisting them with activities they may need assistance with, and providing them with company.
Not all older adults who prefer to be at home are lonely or love to be socially active. I believe it is best practice to approach a situation with the mindset that the older adult is completely content. Consider what activities the older adult would like assistance or company with and make the situation as convenient as possible for them.
Prior Knowledge of Clients’ Interests
Resolving to change an older adult’s habits and routeries may not be the best first step when taking the companion care role.
First, understand the person.
Being active and social may not be their interest. They may love to collect and put together jigsaw puzzles. They may also appreciate taking care of houseplants. Maybe they enjoy taking photographs, or listening to music. Perhaps they may appreciate company while they engage in activities such as having a meal or working in their garden.
To best meet the person’s needs, we must understand the person’s habits and interests.
We can provide companionship and extend home care services to the older adult to assist them in engaging in the activities they find interest in and enjoy.
Helping to make lunch, eating lunch together, and doing an activity are examples of what might happen during a single visit. The next visit might consist of doing a task along with the older adult. The current plan shows how flexible the visits can be.
It isn’t important to create a complicated plan.
A Care Pro should have the flexibility to allow the older adult to engage in a routine of their choosing, and for the visit to end whenever the older adult chooses. There are times when a visit can be successful if the older adult chooses to engage in a routine that is of no interest or benefit to the Care Pro.
There is more benefit in having a Care Plan that describes a few, good, longer lasting aspects of an older adult’s day, as opposed to a Care Plan that describes countless mundane details of an older adult’s day.
Prioritizing the important aspects of a day over the minutia of a day is the goal.
Sharing a meal or a routine activity are examples of traditional companionship. Traditional companionship isn’t always conversation. An older adult might prefer that a companion assist them with a household task or accompany them while they do a task. Older adults have different preferences, and companions should be open to different ways of engaging.
A Care Pro may help with various activities including:
- Having a chat or other social interaction
- Routines related to meals
- Hobbies and other activities
- Help around the house as specified in the Care Plan
- Giving reminders
- Help with tasks the older adult is not to do on their own
- Being with the person while they do activities of their own choice
In each case, the objective is to see to the older adult’s need for companionship.
Preparing a snack to eat together may be a good start to an activity-filled afternoon. What the older adult may wish to do after that is completely up to them. It may even include working on a puzzle. The Care Pro and the older adult may not carry on a conversation, but that doesn’t mean they are not interacting.
It is better to measure the outcome of the visit by how comfortable the older adult was rather than how active they were.
Some families may think they are doing the older adult a favor by taking them out, when in truth they are only setting themselves at ease. Companion care can be provided in a manner that satisfies the older adult’s preference to spend time at home.
Preferences vary when it comes to social activities.
Typically, neither preference is better.
When speaking to an older adult, for instance, I would ask:
- What kind of activities do they enjoy doing at home?
- Do they prefer to spend any time during the day by themselves?
- When they are spending time alone, do they enjoy company?
- When do they require assistance in order to perform daily activities?
- What kinds of activities have they stopped doing due to a lack of help?
- Are they still interested in doing these activities?
Answers to these questions help develop a plan to meet an older adult’s needs (Care Plan).
Also, an older adult may prefer to do certain activities and an unplanned change to the routine may still occur. For example, an adult may prefer to do activities alone and then, on other days, prefer to do activities with company.
It is also important to respect an older adult’s preference to do certain activities alone.
If family members are providing most of the company and assistance for an older adult at home, they may also benefit from respite care in Dunwoody.
A sudden change in an older adult’s preference to remain at home may indicate a need to consult a health professional.
There are a number of things that may cause a person to stop preparing meals, talking with family members, or doing other things that they normally do around the house. For example, a person may start having problems doing things that they have always been able to do.
There are some changes that can not be explained by companion care.
Home Instead's care service is a non-medical care service. Care Pros will not make a medical diagnosis. Care Pros will not do anything that replaces the work of a doctor, nurse, therapist, or other medical professionals.
Changes in behavior, especially if the changes are unexpected or inconvenient for the family, may need to be evaluated by a doctor.
While the family gets help for the situation from a doctor, Care Pros can help the family with other things that they normally do.
Sometimes people just want to stay at home instead of going out. Other times people may just be changing their routine.
Families in the Home Instead office in the Atlanta area can get more information on Care Planning from a Home Instead Care Pro.
Companion Care Questions
Will my parent have to leave the house for companion care to happen?
No. We encourage the caregiver to create a care plan based on your parent's preferences. If your parent prefers to spend the day at home reading, talking, watching TV, etc. we can certainly work that into the plan.
Does companion care mean my parent has to do activities?
Not at all. If your parent prefers a caregiver simply come to provide companionship while your parent does things around the house or goes out to eat that is perfectly acceptable.
Would a caregiver be able to assist my parent with crafts or other activities they enjoy?
Yes, as long as that activity is permitted in the care plan. The goal is for the caregiver to assist with activities the senior prefers to do, not to push the senior to do activities they aren't interested in.
Can a caregiver assist my parent with other household activities?
If those activities are in the care plan, yes. We can offer household assistance as long as it is within the care plan.
Will my parent be allowed to spend part of the visit alone?
If there are no safety concerns, the Care Plan will allow for my parent to spend part of the visit alone.
Can my Care Pro determine the reason my parent has been refusing to leave the house?
No, Care Pros are not trained to determine the reason for changes in an individual’s behavior and/or health. It is best to consult the individual’s healthcare professional.
How does Home Instead determine if companion care is the right care service to provide?
We determine this by assessing what parts of the day the individual requires assistance with. Does the individual need help with transitional care? Is assistance required for the individual to complete daily tasks? If this is the case, companion care services would be the right care service to provide. It is best to consult a healthcare professional if the individual’s needs increase or change.
If an individual living in Dunwoody needs assistance with transitional care and daily tasks, and prefers to spend most of the time at home, our Home Instead team serving Dunwoody can provide care services to meet the individual’s needs. We create a personalized care plan to suit the individual, rather than disrupting their normal day to day activities by replacing their daily activities with new ones.
About the Author
Matt Cohn has spent more than 25 years helping older adults and their families find the right support to remain safe and comfortable at home. He has worked closely with families, caregivers, and care professionals through many of the decisions that come with aging and in-home care.
