Home care in Snellville allows adult children to arrange care for their parents during the times they are unable to provide it. This usually involves identifying what parts of the day the parent is alone and what parts of those times they need or want help with.
You leaving early and returning late doesn’t mean your parent is “alone all day.” The meaningful part of the question is what happens when you leave and what happens when you return. A Care Plan comes into play at this point.
Identify Alone Times with the Help of a Clock
To begin, put yourself in the position of the parent and identify when your sibling(s) leave to go to work and when they return. Generally, the care plan is built around when an adult child leaves to go to work. However, the plan should take into account the time it takes the adult child to get to and from work.
For example, if an adult child works a 7am to 7pm shift and leaves the house at 6:15am, they return at 7:45pm. The care plan shouldn’t be built around the assumption that care is needed from 6:15am to 7:45pm. The adult child may not need care for the entire 13 hour period.
Focus on shorter time frames in a day.
|
Time Frame |
Example |
|
Early morning |
Is the older adult able to manage breakfast and the morning routine? |
|
Late morning |
Do meals and household tasks pose problems? |
|
Afternoon |
Is companionship or help with household tasks and routine activities appropriate? |
|
Early evening |
Does the older adult require assistance with dinner and/or the evening routine? |
Consider the different situations, as needs may change throughout the day.
A Care Plan must be individualized to the specific needs of an older adult. If a plan does not address specific needs of an older adult, caregivers may be providing needless, unnecessary, and/or unappreciated assistance to the older adult.
Establish which normal routine activities need to occur while caregivers are not providing services. Generally, the Care Plan should describe the daily activities and routines of an older adult, and not list all the possible home care services.
Lunch may be the biggest challenge. Preparing breakfast may not be an issue for your parent, but what about dinner? Household chores may not be getting done because your parent doesn’t have the energy to do them at the end of the day.
Examples of supports to include in the Care Plan:
- Assistance with meals
- Companionship
- Assistance with daily tasks
- Errands
- Help with tasks the older adult finds challenging
- Routine reminders
The older adult is in the best position to determine what activities he/she needs help with and what should be included in the Care Plan.
I would not implement a Care Plan that requires constant support. An independent adult may prefer to be alone the rest of the time.
An example of support may be helping with lunch, assisting the older adult to eat and then doing a household chore, and reviewing the older adult’s plans for the remainder of the day.
The adult child working and not being with the older adult is not the reason to plan a Care activities for the remainder of the day. The Care activities should be planned to support the older adult to do the routines that are important to the older adult.
For adult children who work long hours, having a few hours of scheduled care may be beneficial for the family to do the tasks they are unable to do because of work. Respite care in Snellville may also provide scheduled support when family caregivers need time away from caregiving responsibilities.
How can I effectively communicate while avoiding management of home care?
You shouldn't have to manage home care services from your workplace.
Make a decision ahead of time about the level of information you will need during your visit. This will help you avoid the need to make numerous decisions throughout your visit.
The care plan should dictate the actions to be taken during the visit.
The adult child should not have to communicate continually throughout the visit to make decisions.
I would limit visit communication to matters directly relating to the care being provided.
This may include determining who among the family members should be the primary point of contact, what information should be communicated to the family, what should prompt a family member to make a contact, when should a healthcare professional be contacted, who should communicate schedule changes to the family, and what should be communicated to the family regarding changes to the care being provided.
The older adult should also be involved in establishing the same types of limits. Ordinary choices being made by the adult should not require input from a family member employed to provide home care services.
If a family member employs a care service worker to assist with home care, this should not restrict the adult from making ordinary choices, e.g. what to eat and when to eat, or how to spend their time.
The employment of a home care service worker should not change the normal order of things in the family. When a care service worker has to assist an adult, this should not mean that the employee has to make all the decisions.
What this does is let the working adult child not feel like they are supervising another shift from afar.
When is the Gap Too Large for a Few Scheduled Visits?
A few scheduled visits may not work for every situation.
If an older adult requires assistances in several/more activities throughout the day, the family should review the visitation plan and determine if it still aligns with the older adult’s needs.
Think about the situation beyond the scheduled visits.
Are there important activities that the older adult participates in that are not being covered by the Care Pro? Is the adult child having to leave work to care for the older adult? Is the older adult developing new, or more, health and care needs that are not being addressed?
What is not working about the current situation?
Is it possible the care needs of the older adult have changed?
If new, and/or more, health and care concerns have been developed by the older adult, it would be best to contact a medical professional.
Home Instead has a team that will review and update the care plan, based on the new requirements of the older adult.
Our Lawrenceville-area Home Instead team will work to understand the non-medical aspects of the older adult’s schedule.
FAQs for Home Care Services in Snellville
Do you provide Home Care Services for people working long hours?
Yes. We provide home care services based on the specific hours for which assistance is needed. Working long hours does not mean you need home care services for the entire length of time you are away from home. We will help you create a care plan based upon the most difficult and challenging parts of your day.
Does my parent need home care services to to be covered for my entire work day?
Not always. Home care services do not need to be for the entire duration of your work shift. If your parent is functionally capable of taking care of him/herself for a majority of the day, then we can create a care plan for the more difficult or challenging parts of your parent’s day.
Would it be possible for the care worker to prepare meals for my parent during my work shift?
Maybe. Preparation of meals for your parent may be included in the care plan. Discuss with us the challenges you face during your work shift and the level of support you expect the care worker to provide.
Would I be contacted or have to discuss the care plan with the care worker during the care visit?
It is not expected that you have to discuss care support with the care worker during the visit. The care Plan is expected to cover the more challenging aspects of your parent’s day and help alleviate stress on you during your work shift.
What if my parent doesn't want someone there all day?
In that case, support would not be provided all day. Support would be given during the times your parent needs the most help. Older adults may need assistance with certain daily activities and may need help with routines throughout the day, and may be able to perform other activities without assistance.
Can a Care Pro help with medical conditions?
No. Home Instead does not provide medical care. Care Pros cannot diagnose, treat, or make medical decisions. Care Pros cannot replace medical professionals. In case of a medical emergency, contact the nearest hospital or healthcare facility.
How do I decide if our current schedule requires more care?
Look to see if there are similar laps in care. For example, if your parent needs assistance before or after a care visit, and there are large laps in care, then the Care Plan needs to be revised. Similarly, if there has been a recent change in your parent's health condition, the Care Plan as well as the medical Care Plan needs to be reviewed and revised.
If your work schedule creates caregiving gaps for your parent that are beyond your control, contact our Home Instead office serving Snellville for further assistance. We can work with you to create a care plan based on your parent's specific 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 has worked closely with families, caregivers, and care professionals through many of the decisions that come with aging and in-home care.
