Home care services in Buckhead can provide higher levels of support than housekeeping or transportation services. Care Pros can provide companionship and help clients perform activities of daily living. A care Pro can identify and help meet a client’s personal care needs. A housekeeper or driver cannot.
It is possible to have a well-run household with the help of a housekeeper and a driver. However, neither is likely to provide companionship for an older adult or assist them in performing activities of daily living. Those should be defined in the job responsibilities.
Services that Support Personal Care
I like to say that household services are provided to the property and home care services are provided to the resident.
A housekeeper can perform household services like cleaning. Driving services can provide transportation to appointments and outings.
A Care Pro can perform personal care tasks defined in the Care Plan and assist the client in performing activities of daily living.
The Care Plan outlines the support to be provided based on a person’s individual needs. The support may consist of:
- Assistance with daily activities
- Conversation and company
- Eating meals
- Help to manage personal care
- Reminding a person about activities they need to do
- Help around the house
- Assisting the person to participate in their favorite activities
- Help which is required in the absence of the person’s family members
We offer a wide range of home care services.
I wouldn’t presume that an older adult requires complete preparation for the absence of their current support system. If the household support and the transport support are adequately addressed, we should consider what other support is required.
It could be that an older adult requires support to fill an unaccompanied period. It could also be that an older adult requires support to get ready for the day. It could also mean that the personal support is provided by family members because they assume that support is provided by the household staff.
It could mean that transport and household support is adequately addressed.
What other Support is Required?
Companionship is Different from Household Support Services
Having a Care Pro to provide companionship do not mean that household support is also addressed. Household support and Transportation support are addressed separately.
Taking a routine, rather than a job title, as the basis for comparison reveals a significant difference in the amount of support older adults require compared to what is provided to the other adults.
Older adults may need to leave the house to attend an appointment, stop for breakfast, plan their day, etc.
Drivers may help with transportation. Housekeepers may help with tidying up. Care Pros may assist with planning and preparing for the appointment, among others.
The objective should not be to increase the number of people working in the home. The objective is to ensure that various activities are completed throughout the day for which no other support is provided.
The same may be true of other family members. The care need may not be met if, for instance, between the driver’s and housekeeper’s schedules, a family member is required to handle all the activities for a family member.
Respite care may enable a caregiver to take a break from certain care activities.
How do you avoid care activities being repeated by several household workers? Each worker should be allocated a specific care activity to perform.
One possible solution is a simple list that outlines each role.
Some examples of responsibilities include:
- Items that concern the overall welfare of the family
- The cleanup of soiling and wetting
- Transportation to and from medical and social appointments
- Routines and activities of care
- Medical care
- Help with finances and legal matters
- Assistance in the overall management of the household
- Personal decisions
The roles taken by various family members and service providers should be specified, depending on the needs of the household.
When additional service providers are engaged, care should be taken that the original caregivers do not suddenly have their responsibilities changed because of the new service.
It is important to communicate with the family members as responsibilities of various service providers are changed.
There should be a clear division of roles in order to make sure that care gaps do not occur. Roles should also be clearly defined in order to avoid care staff members assuming the duties of other care staff members.
There are distinct limits on the activities of care staff, and various household staff members and family members should perform certain activities.
Care Pros fill in gaps in care, offer flexibility and work as part of a team to provide excellent care and support, however, Care Pros will not assess, diagnose or make decisions regarding care.
There are limits to what a Care Pro can do, and limits to what a Household Worker can do. For example, household workers should not be expected to provide personal care to family members or other household members just because they work in the household. Likewise, family members should not be expected to provide personal care to a household member just because they are related to the individual or a part of the household.
Just because a healthcare provider, Care Pro or Household Worker is present, that does not mean family members should not make decisions regarding the older adult.
Other care providers should not be engaged to make decisions regarding the personal care, finances, or legal matters of the older adult. Often times the best way to identify the caregiver who should be making a decision regarding the older adult is to determine who should, in fact, be making the decision. This is particularly useful when a family employs several care providers.
The Care Plan developed by the Home Instead team serves to identify the care gaps without needing to reorganize working care providers.
Home Care Buckhead Questions
Will home care services replace our housekeeper?
Probably not. Home care services and housekeeping services are different. Home care services are more person-to-person, and housekeeping services are more about the condition of the home. For example, if your house is already clean, but your elderly family member needs assistance performing activities of daily living, home care services may be the solution.
What if my family member already has transportation services?
Home care services are different from transportation services. Home care services may assist your family member in other areas, such as performing activities of daily living, and providing and assisting with meals.
Can a Care Pro and housekeeper be in the home at the same time?
In theory, yes. The Care Pro focuses on the elderly family member’s care needs, and the housekeeper is focused on general household needs. It is best for the family to not give the same or conflicting instructions to household employees.
Can the Care Pro manage household employees?
Home Instead focuses on the non-medical care of the family member, and is not responsible for employee management.
If the family needs an employee manager for the household, it should not be included in home care services.
Is it part of non-medical home care to perform routine medical assessments?
No. Conducting medical assessments and/or performing activities that are within the scope of practice of a nurse or allied health professional require the supervision and/or direction of a medical professional. Contact should be made to the appropriate medical professional for any change in the older adult’s condition and/or for any clinical questions.
In situations where the older adult’s family members are performing most of the activities of daily living, what should we assume?
This may indicate the existence of a care gap. Determine the activities that are being performed by family members that are not part of the driver’s or housekeeper’s duties. Family members may be performing companionship and/or personal support activities that are necessary and/or vital.
Is it necessary to remove current support workers prior to initiating Home Instead services?
No. Home care may be provided in addition to other support workers. It is not the intent of Home Instead to replace support workers. The emphasis should be on meeting the older adult’s needs rather than defining a Care Plan based on the activities that a support worker is not performing.
If an older adult in the Buckhead area is receiving house support services, but still requires additional support to perform activities of daily living, our Home Instead office in Buckhead can assist. We can help determine what activities should be included in a Care Plan.
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.
