Caring for elderly relatives can be challenging, especially if you work. Carers struggle to find support for their relatives between the times they are able to visit. Many care assistance providers have recognized this gap and are now offering shorter care visit options. Care providers in Buford are now offering care assistance for the time between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Care providers will assist your elder relative with any of the activities stated on their Care Plan.
This care assistance can help with the tasks your elder relative finds difficult while they wait for you to return home from work.
What are the activities your elder relative finds difficult between lunch and dinner?
Answering the above question can help you identify activities your elder relative finds difficult between lunch and dinner.
What are the activities your elder relative finds difficult between noon and 2:00 p.m.?
Activities that occur between noon and 2:00 p.m. may include the following:
- Cleaning the kitchen
- Running errands (grocery shopping, etc.)
- Completing household chores
- Preparing a meal
- Aiding your relative to perform the activities stated in their care plan
- Organizing the things your elder relative wants to do before the family arrives
- Managing your elder relative’s schedule
There are several things you can do to help your elder relative ease the difficult times they experience while waiting for you to return from work or school. You don't always need to hire all-day care assistance.
Some older adults don’t need constant supervision and may only need help with a couple tasks throughout the day. The rest of the time they may want to work independently. Others may not need help for the majority of the day, but may need help with meal prep.
We can create a custom plan using our home care services to address the specific needs of you or your loved one.
Oftentimes, the tasks that are left undone throughout the day are the tasks that cause the most stress and signal the most need for assistance.
What determines whether time is spent on errands, meal prep, getting personal care, or getting companionship?
Usually the most stressful part of the day is a good place to start.
Often, the meal that requires the most stress and preparation is the one that should be prioritized. If a parent needs help prepping a meal but is generally okay the rest of the day, it may be more helpful to provide companionship.
Errands that are left for the end of the day may also need to be prioritized.
The most helpful plan is created by addressing the following questions:
What does the older adult need help with?
If a family member is stressing about prep-work for a meal but the older adult is concerned about getting a different task done, that task should be prioritized.
What is the family left to do after work?
If a family member is left to do a load of laundry and the older adult has to do groceries, maybe help with the laundry should be provided first.
What kinds of tasks are time dependent?
Some regular activities may be flexible, especially if they relate to meal times or other plans. Others may be related to a person’s preference to structure their day in a certain way.
What are the person’s preferred activities?
If a person can still manage to do an activity without assistance or with only minimal assistance, then full replacement should not be provided.
We can customize Care Plans based on a person’s preferences.
Some people may prefer to do certain activities on their own. Others may prefer to do as little as possible on their own.
One of the reasons the afternoon gap may be addressed separately is because the person may be able to manage the routine on their own in the evenings.
What is the preferred method of handing off the evening routine?
Ideally, a care plan should be designed so the person providing care is only doing what is necessary to assist the family with routine tasks.
The family needs to be clear with the care provider about what is most important for the family to know and address upon their return.
It is best for the routine to be as normal as possible for the person while providing an opportunity for the family to communicate what is most important to them.
Here’s what I would include in the handoff:
- What happened this afternoon?
- What got done?
- What isn’t done?
- Did the person change what they wanted to do?
- What, if anything, should the family do next?
This will help avoid doing the same thing more than once. If making dinner was part of the plan and the older adult already made dinner, the family doesn’t need to wait until 6 pm to make dinner. The same goes for going to the grocery store.
Explaining this to multiple relatives also avoids repetition. Deciding who gives what information also helps.
Families in the Gainesville area are welcome to talk to the Home Instead staff to help plan their daily family routine.
When does the Afternoon Gap require Whole Day Coverage?
It may be time to provide all-day coverage if needing care during the afternoon creates a real hardship. Difficult afternoomes may be a signal that a person needs assistance throughout the day and/or evening.
Some additional relevant questions might be:
- Are any routines consistently ended when the Care Pro arrives?
- Are there every longer lists of tasks initiated when care ends?
- Have there been changes to the person’s routine?
- Is care support helping the person to continue with routine activities?
- Are any of the problems of a medical nature?
This question is important.
Home instead provides non-medical home care support. Care Pros can help clients with activities of daily living and other routine activities described in the care plan. Non-medical care support can not take the place of nursing or other medical care and interventions.
If there is a change in the client’s condition, care plan, or if the family has questions about the client’s condition, treatment, or other medical concerns, they should contact the health care professional involved.
The care plan can be changed to reflect the client’s current non-medical care needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Senior Care in Buford
Can care be provided only in the afternoons?
Care can be provided only during the afternoons if that is the time when care support is required. Other family members can contact the local office of Home Instead to discuss care options and other concerns rather than assuming that support has to be provided for the entire day.
What activities can Care Pros perform between 2 PM and 6 PM?
Care Pros can provide activities of daily living (ADL) support, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) support, and companion services. The use of the Care Pros’ time will be influenced by the Care Plan and what the Older Adult wishes to have support to complete. Generally, support will be provided to the Older Adult to complete end of day activities and support to complete any leftover tasks from the day.
Will afternoons care help if my parent is still rather independent?
Yes, home care support can be adjusted to fit your parent’s needs. Home care does not always mean support to complete all of the tasks an Older Adult needs help to complete. Home care can mean support to complete a few tasks that your parent needs help to complete during the afternoons.
Do I have to decide between support with household activities or companionship?
Not necessarily, it will be based on the Care Plan and what activities the Older Adult needs help to complete. Generally the Care Plan will be flexible enough to include a variety of activities.
What are the limits of a non-medical care assistant?
A non-medical care assistant can not perform services that are within the scope of a Registered Nurse (RN). Home care can not be used to treat a medical condition or for diagnosis. A non-medical care assistant should not perform medical assessments.
What happens when your family member returns?
It will be up to your family to decide which information to share regarding your day. Your family will also decide which tasks have been completed and which still need to be done. The idea is to come up with an effective way to communicate what happened during the Care Pro’s visit, without making the family member the “boss” and manager of all the Care Pro’s time.
Do you think four hours isn’t enough time?
Look at what happens before and after that four hour time frame. If important family activities and routines aren’t getting done or family members are having to take over care activities outside of the time frame being provided, then the Care Plan and the time frame the support is being provided needs to be looked at and adjusted.
The afternoons between 2:00 and 6:00pm may be the most challenging for your family members in Buford. We invite you to contact the Home Instead office and see if there is a way to get support for the afternoons and develop a plan to best address your family’s needs.
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 is an owner of Home Instead locations including Gainesville and has worked with families, caregivers, and care professionals through many of the decisions that come with aging and in-home care.
