Home care in Lithonia can assist seniors in managing the activities of their daily lives between professional medical interventions. These activities may include meal preparation, personal care and companionship, and other reminders and transportation arrangements. However, Home care is complementary to professional health care services, and will not substitute medical and nursing care.
Families do not need professional medical care for routine assistance with activities of daily living. Families may need the assistance of a caregiver to help an elderly person with transportation and appointment preparations.
Routines are the Backbone of Care
Routines occur many times throughout the day. Professional medical care may be infrequent.
Home care may be appropriate to assist an elderly person with some of the daily tasks that she may not find difficult to perform, but time consuming and energy draining. Home care may assist with some of the following tasks, based on the Care Plan.
- Meal preparation
- Light Housekeeping
- Personal care
- Companionship
- Help with appointments
- Transportation
Home care may also assist the client to remain organized.
The focus of home care is to assist the client with daily tasks. Home care is not intended to diagnosis or manage a client's medical conditions.
A doctor or nurse may informally decide what kind of medical care is appropriate for a person, but home care aides do not decide that. Home care aides do practical, support tasks that allow the person to receive the medical care that has been prescribed or directed.
A person may need help putting appointment instructions in a place that they will see later, or that will prompt them to remember to follow a routine or appointment.
Home care aides do not help people understand medical terminology.
Home care aides assist clients in following the routine and usual activities of the home.
A reminder is different from administering a medication. The home care aide is not responsible for determining the answer to the following questions.
- Why is a symptom present?
- Does the person need to take a medication?
- Should this individual take a pill with that one?
- What does this direction mean?
If a Care Pro is unsure what the answer to a question is, the Pro should refer to the health care professional who developed the care plan. Care Pros cannot interpret prescriptions or directions.
Before providing care, I would have to clarify what family members meant by “taking care of the medications.”
If family means “Please remind Mom at the time on her routine,” this is not related to making medical decisions.
When the clarity is not around the medical direction, the best next step is to contact the health care professional.
Once the medication and/or medical direction is clear, then the next step may include seeking non-medical support.
How Can Home Care Help Organize Questions and Transportation to the Next Appointment?
Preparing for a medical appointment may include many different tasks. For example, an appointment time may need to be scheduled. There may need to be transportation arranged. The medical appointment may require that questions be written or that information be gathered to bring with the patient.
The activities may be time consuming and require significant effort; however, they are not medical activities.
Home care may help with some of these non-medical activities; however, the older adult must determine the activities to help with and what to discuss.
Activities may include:
- Deciding what questions to ask the health care professional and writing them down.
- Gathering the papers/things the health care professional told the patient to bring.
- Figuring out how the patient will get to the health care appointment.
- Making a decision about who to bring with the patient to the health care appointment.
- Deciding what to do with the papers/things the health care professional told the patient to bring.
The wishes of the older adult should be considered when determining who should participate in a medical discussion.
If transportation support is part of the Care Plan, staff will explain the details of the support offered. If support is not offered as part of the Care Plan, the office will not be able to provide support transportation for the appointment.
The objective is to ensure the Care Pro is not placed in a situation where he or she is required to provide medical care, support and/or services to the older adult.
Lithonia respite care should provide the older adult with the care and support he or she requires, thereby, allowing the family caregiver to take a break from their caring responsibilities.
When should a concern be given to the health care provider?
All medical concerns should be directed to the health care provider.
I will ask, is the situation requiring a medical judgment?
In the affirmative, it should be directed to a health care provider.
Concerns may include:
- Change in older adult’s condition
- New or worsening symptoms
- Pain
- Wound care and dressing
- Injections
- Medical equipment
- Clinical management of a medical condition
- Medical emergency
The care Pro is not expected to make medical judgments.
This is typically the case when a home health agency is already working the case. Home health and home care can co-exist in the same situation; however, home health is generally applied to clinical situations and services. Home care, on the other hand, is often referred to for non-clinical, non-medical support and services.
Home health can provide clinical services to address clinical needs. Home care services and supports can assist with activities of daily living and other support and services needed by the individual to perform activities of normal daily routines.
Home care should not be thought of to provide emergency services.
Home care should not be relied on to provide emergency services.
A Care Plan is developed to outline the kind of services and supports to assist the individual to perform the activities of normal daily living. It should not be prepared to outline the kinds of services to address the individual’s medical conditions and to assist the individual to perform medical interventions.
Below are answers to questions often asked regarding home care.
Can home care assist with medical appointments?
Care services can assist with appointment reminders, and assist with organizational supports to structure the individual’s schedule to assist the individual to attend medical appointments, if included in the Care Plan.
Can home care services assist an individual living alone?
Home care is designed to provide supports to assist the individual to perform activities of normal daily living, if the individual choose to do so. Home care services are designed to supports the individual to perform his/her choice of daily activities, and should not be relied upon to take over the individual’s choices and daily schedule.
Can Care Pros translate the doctor’s orders?
Care Pros are not allowed to give medical advice. If the family or older adult does not understand something a doctor said or did something related to the older adult’s care, then they should contact the doctor or the other healthcare professional involved to clarify.
Can regular non-medical home care replace home health?
They are not the same. Home health is meant to provide clinical services, and if there is a need for clinical services, then those should be provided by a licensed clinical professional. Home care can provide assistance with non-clinical activities and support and can help with various activities of daily living.
If my parent needs both medical care and practical help, what should we do?
It is possible and may be appropriate for the family to employ both medical home care and home health care services. The family should make sure there is no overlap in the services provided.
Can a Care Pro help us create a list of questions to take to the doctor?
A Care Pro can help the older adult write down questions and help the older adult organize his/her/their thoughts; however, the older adult is responsible for determining what questions to ask and the medical care provider is responsible for giving medical care and answering medical-related questions.
What indicates that home care is the next appropriate step?
Between visits, have you had concerns regarding your loved one’s wellness, safety and/or health? If the main concerns have been related to meal preparation, housekeeping, companionship and/or sedation, as well as personal care, reminders and/or transportation, and/or family member caregiver relief, then home care may be the best solution. If your concerns have been related to health and/or wellness, consider contacting a health care practitioner.
Think about the days between your last visit and the next scheduled visit. Have concerns related to your loved one’s wellness and/or health become so that you are no longer able to assist them to carry out their day to day activities?
To speak about these concerns in more detail, please contact Home Instead serving the Atlanta area at 770-565-7007.
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 owns Home Instead locations in Georgia and Louisiana and has worked closely with families, caregivers, and care professionals through many of the decisions that come with in-home care.
