Evaluate the needs of your loved one and your family

Before you size up the qualifications of a home care provider, you should first assess the unique circumstances and needs of the person in your family who needs care. And you should also consider the needs of your family. Home care becomes a viable option the moment a person cannot safely and adequately maintain his or her home and household — and once that person can’t manage their own care. This can be a short-term arrangement for a person who has just experienced an unexpected medical event, such as a heart attack or stroke. Or it can be long-term accommodations for a person whose ability to monitor their own care and home gradually decreases with age. This arrangement allows that person to remain in their home until the end of their life.

In certain circumstances, it may NOT be safe for a person to continue living at home. Family members can arrive at a decision about what is best for their loved one by asking the following questions:

• Is the person mentally capable of assessing their circumstances and the consequences they must face while living at home — especially if care is not adequate for any reason? Is the patient willing to assume these consequences if they will remain at home? For instance, a person with a cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, is not capable of making these types of decisions.
• Does the person have a medical condition that requires a higher level of care (e.g., one than cannot be maintained safely at home)?
• Is the person only able to remain at home with the care and assistance of a spouse, loved one or other unpaid help? Is that help difficult to maintain or in jeopardy of continuing on a regular basis?
• Is the person capable of handling even minimal self-preservation, such as the ability to feed and toilet themselves, or to protect themselves from dangers such as fire or another catastrophe? If not, is the care they are receiving sufficient to ensure that those basic needs are always met?
• Is the person at imminent risk of being victimized in any way?

Each family must assess which living option is in their best interest and which one will provide their loved one with the highest quality of life, according to their own terms. When living at home is no longer the best choice for a patient, there are a variety of living options that are available. Families should identify those necessities that are most important to their loved one, then choose the living arrangements that will deliver as many of those things as possible. This will make it easier to decide where the patient should live.

Where can I find home care providers?

Ask relatives, friends, neighbors, coworkers and your physician if they know of any home care providers. Chances are, someone you know has either used home care or they know someone who has. These contacts can tell you which agencies deliver higher quality service. You can also check with home care associations, such as the Pennsylvania Homecare Association and the National Private Duty Association (NPDA), or your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) office.

If you are considering Medicare-covered services, you’ll need a doctor’s prescription. Some private insurance plans may also require a doctor’s referral. If you are paying privately, you are free to choose any agency you wish.