Stone Mountain senior home care can assist with tasks such as errands, meal preparation, laundry, and other light house chores, even if there is no need to provide personal care or 24-hour support. The goal is not to replace the senior adult. Instead, we aim to assist older adults in doing what they wish to do, in a safe and easy manner.
Errands, Simple Meals, Laundry, Light House Chores
Between the extremes of doing everything independently and needing full, hands-on daily care, there is a huge expanse that is widely unexplored.
For many in Stone Mountain, the issue isn't personal care, such as bathing and dressing, or any other type of personal care. More often it's other tasks of daily living, such as shopping, meal preparation, house cleaning, and laundry.
Care Pros are able to assist each senior adult with the Care Plan that has been developed, and provide everyday tasks assistive support for errands and shopping, meal and snack preparation, laundry, changing bed linens and laundry, dishwashing, and tidying, as well as daily tasks that assist meal preparation.
These seem to be small tasks. However, changing a plan that has been disrupted because of limited stamina, mobility, house transportation, and other issues of daily living can cause a notable burden.
The key difference is that home care doesn't have to disrupt an older adult’s routine. It helps to manage the parts of the routine that have become more difficult while allowing the adult to keep the other parts.
For those in the Stone Mountain area, the best way to begin to identify elder care options in Stone Mountain, is to first understand their current routine. They don't have to wait until they feel their care needs have become more extensive.
How do you decide which parts of the routine should stay with the older adult?
The older adult should be the first priority. You should determine which parts of the routine they want to keep. This includes which parts of the routine they still find enjoyable, which parts they still want to take responsibility for, and which have become more time consuming.
I like to picture the routines of a household in three different categories: keep, share, and hand off.
Keep: These are routines that remain comfortable and safe for the older adult to perform on their own. If home care support has been put in place to assist with other routine tasks, it should not affect other routine tasks they enjoy such as preparing breakfast, watering plants, and grocery shopping.
Share: Some routines are easier if another person steps in to assist with one aspect of a task. An older adult may want to select the food with a care pro assisting with the preparation and clean up. Another example could be having someone assist with bringing the laundry to and from the laundry facility while the adult sorts.
Hand off: Sometimes routines are just too time consuming and/or physically exhaustive. The adult may choose to have assistance with grocery shopping, dishes, and/or laundry to allow them to focus on more important tasks that are more rewarding.
This process draws focus on choice rather than ability.
Before I choose additional supports, I want to know the answer to these three prompts:
What aspects of their daily routines are these older adults having difficulty finishing?
What tasks are these older adults having difficulty finishing?
What can we add to the support they get that will make their week noticeably easier, even if it would add more support (that they may not need)?
Home care should fit the older adult - it should adjust around them, not the other way around.
What’s Important to Know about a Care Pro
A Care Pro is not a housekeeper, nurse, nor a handyman.
Home Instead’s home care services are not the same as a housekeeping service, skilled home health care, or home repair service.
Light household help is not and should not be mistaken for heavy cleaning, major projects within the home, or maintenance.
The same applies to medical care. A Care Pro is not a licensed nurse, physician, therapist, or other clinical professional. Medical care for home assessments and care, and even skilled nursing, may necessitate a different healthcare service to non-medical home care.
A Care Pro is not a handyman either. Work such as repairs, electrical, plumbing, and construction should be done by a professional.
Having clear boundaries helps families select the appropriate help. One support may be all that’s needed. Often, multiple supports need to work together.
How to Make a Simple Task List for a One-Time Visit
Task lists should include things that make a big difference instead of trying to fill each minute.
Start with tasks that are most important for the day.
Suppose the primary task is to make a meal. Then the list may include starting the laundry and doing one errand. However, if the primary task is to help and spend time with the older adult, then the list may focus on doing a light house task and planning a few meals.
To build the task list consider
One primary task: decide on the task that needs to be done for the day.
Secondary tasks: can include a few other tasks that can be done in the time around the main task.
Think about the older adult’s pace: Home care visits should not feel rushed.
Think about the older adult’s preferences: laundry, meals and shopping may also be done.
How tasks are done may change in the future: tasks may become easier or harder to do, or they may become more or less important.
The task list should include what the older adult wants from the visit. Some older adults like to have someone there while they do their routine tasks, and some like to hand off tasks that need to be done.
Neither approach is better
If you are currently transferring these responsibilities to a spouse, adult child, or other family caregiver, then respite care in Stone Mountain might be helpful. Support can make room in the family schedule without making older adults completely dependent.
When Is This Kind of Senior Home Care In Stone Mountain a Good Fit?
This kind of help may fit someone who is largely independent but can use some help with certain aspects of their day.
If you notice that your loved one has started to cook fewer meals because it takes too much effort, or if you notice their linens are starting to pile up because changing them is now inconvenient and laundry is starting to pile up, or if you notice they are beginning to save their energy by taking longer to complete errands; then, care may not be needed full time.
A smaller amount of help may be what is needed.
The focus is not on whether this individual can still live independently.
The focus is more on where in the day of the week would this family need the most help.
It provides the older adult and family a starting point.
Senior Home Care FAQs
Does home care require a need for personal care?
Not at all. While some home care involves assistance with personal hygiene, many seniors that utilize home care do not require assistance of even that level. Home care also provides assistance with some meal preparation, errands, and laundry.
Does a Care Pro do housekeeping?
No. Housekeeping is not the same as light household help. A Care Pro will assist with some daily activities, but larger, deep house cleaning activities still need to be performed by a housekeeping service.
Does home care allow my parent to do activities?
Of course, seniors that utilize home care are always encouraged to be as independent as possible. There are several daily household activities that a parent can still do while utilizing home care assistance, such as meal preparation, laundry, and activities of that nature.
Is Home Instead a substitute for home health care?
No, Home Instead is a strictly non-medical home care service. Like any home care service, a Care Pro is not a nurse or a licensed healthcare service provider and therefore cannot provide assessments or any type of health care service. In order to utilize health care services, a service like home health care is necessary in conjunction to a service like Home Instead.
Can care plans be built around a few household routines?
Care plans must be individualized to address the concerns of the individual consumer. A care plan can begin to deconstruct some of the larger challenges of meal preparation, grocery and errand shopping, and companionship.
What should I ask my parent before arranging home care?
Find out what they are able to do on their own, what they'd like assistance with, and what they'd like to continue doing by themselves. It also helps to know what days of the week they find the most challenging or draining.
How do I start discussing home care in Stone Mountain?
Instead of a broad discussion about a need for care, focus on some of the daily routines that are now more challenging. From there, our teams in Atlanta can outline some potential support offerings that best consideration the wants and needs of the older adult and their daily routine.
If you are starting to feel the impact of some of the everyday chores and tasks (like errands, meals, or laundry), reach out to our team. We can help you understand how best to support the older adult's independence and preferences.
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 Louisiana and Georgia and has worked closely with families, caregivers, and care professionals through many of the decisions that come with aging and in-home care.
