Companion Care in Flowery Branch After an Older Adult Gives Up Driving

Companion care in Flowery Branch helps elderly adults continue doing daily activities that they have difficulty doing after losing the routine of driving. A Care Pro will help people with routine companion tasks that are not medical if it’s part of the Care Plan and the requested services.

It is not about just filling hours for a person. It is ensuring that a person has the adequacy to fulfill their own chosen schedule.

Our broader home care services can be adapted to fit the needs of the older adult instead of treating the loss of driving as reason to change everything else.

For some, the loss of driving means the loss of getting groceries. For some, family members provide errand running support and social outings, whereas for others, these outings are missed the most. These situations should not result in the same Care Plan.

How Do You Preserve Choice Over Where to Go and What to Do?

Choice is preserved by listening and understanding what the older adult wants most, rather than creating a new schedule around the needs of others. The support offered should enable the older adult to maintain their preferences, rather than offering a substitute.

I like to divide the week into three parts to reflect what the driver can do independently, what now requires a helper or support, and what they no longer wish to do. Distinguishing these parts is important.

Grocery delivery solves some of the grocery problem, but it may not solve the issue of transporting your elderly parent to and from the grocery store. Perhaps transporting your elderly parent to the grocery store and doing the shopping yourself is not the issue, but using delivery to have your elderly parent stay at home and not have to leave would be of some benefit. This can be an issue of personal preference. If having your elderly parent go grocery shopping themselves and having them interact with others and enjoy the experience of walking through an actual store and perhaps even shopping at stores that they have patronized in the past, then this may need to be taken into account before a grocery delivery service is used.

The same logic can be used with appointments. Your elderly parent may want you or someone else to drive and take them to the appointment, but may also want to talk to the doctor and handle that portion of the appointment themselves.

Some practical questions to ask may be:

• What trips do you want to take?
• What trips could be combined?
• Would you prefer to have consistent transport on a certain day of the week to help with your other commitments, or do you prefer to schedule transport on an as needed basis?
• Are there errands you take that could be done another way?
• What social commitments would you miss the most?

These answers can help you determine support around the person’s priorities and not just consider every trip as interchangeable.

Respite care in Flowery Branch may be an option if another family member is providing the bulk of the rides. Even with family help, one person is not expected to be the primary driver for all errands, appointments, and outings.

When the transportation needs of your elderly parent exceed what can be provided with a home-care schedule

Home care may be a good idea if the transportation needs of your elderly parent can be planned and schedule coordinated to fit around the needs of your elderly parent. Unfortunately, if your elderly parent needs frequent and spontaneous transportation, unpredictable trips, or trips that cannot be scheduled, then Care coordinated home care would not be appropriate.

That distinction is important.

If your parent's routine contains a consistent amount of appointments, shopping, and social activities, then a support system can be formed around that routine.

Coordinated transportation systems will be required if the family’s schedule becomes more of a mixed bag. If the community provides other options, then the family transportation system could be community transportation, ridesharing systems, medical transportation, and so on.

Home care should not reach the level of care it is not.

The same holds true for the clinical needs of a person. Companion care is non-medical and therefore cannot cover the needs of a parent who requires comprehensive nursing or medical care, treatment, or monitoring.

Families need to know where non-medical support end and where a different system begins.

Commonly Asked Questions about Companion Care when Driving Ceases

Can companion care cover support for an independent parent at home?

Yes. In this situation, companion care is not about loss of independence. An independent parent can continue to be independent for the most part when it comes to decision making, routine management, and finances while still needing support to engage in outings, prepare meals, or gain companionship for other support that is lacking after the loss of driving.

Does companion care mean someone decides my parent’s schedule?

Not at all. They have to decide when to have the activities, when they need support, and how they want to schedule their week. A Care Plan is based on their preference. It should not provide a schedule that someone else has made for them.

Can a Care Pro help with errands and appointments?

It depends on the Care Plan and the services booked, but companion care may include support with errands, appointments, and other daily routines. Prior to the care commencing, it is best to know how they will cover the needs related to transport, as it helps to understand what is included in the care and how the scheduling will work.

What are the limits of non-medical home care?

Non-medical home care does has some restrictions. It does not replace skilled nursing, home health, or medical treatment. Care Pros offer non-medical support and companionship. If an older adult needs nursing, medical assistance, or clinical care, they should reach out to a licensed healthcare professional.

What if my parent only needs help with a few outings?

If the parent only needs help with a few outings, and the issue is mainly limited driving, then a few supports may be helpful. Identify what outings are the most challenging to replace, and determine what kind of schedule is needed to support those activities. The goal is to put the schedule in place while minimizing the help the parent doesn’t want and doesn’t need.

Can family members assist with some of the trips?

Relatives can still assist with transportation. Companion care does not eliminate the need for relatives. It focuses on areas to assist and ensures that there is not one relative responsible for grocery trips, appointments and social outings so that the parent continues to go where they want to go.

What can Flowery Branch families do?

Write down the first week without driving so you remember what needed to be put off and what social plans became hard to keep. Also, take note on the appointments needed and how those were coordinated. Then, contact our Home Instead team for Gainesville and surrounding areas. They can help with determining if companion care in Flowery Branch is beneficial for the situation.

If giving up driving has been more disruptive than expected, call the Gainesville office. We can help you consider the routines your parent wants to maintain and where non-medical care fits and where transportation may be more needed.

About the Author

Matt Cohn has spent more than 25 years helping older adults and their families find support that helps them remain safe and comfortable at home. He owns Home Instead locations serving Gainesville, Lawrenceville, and Dunwoody in Georgia, as well as Baton Rouge and Hammond in Louisiana.