The transition from an assisted living facility to receiving care at home can be complicated, so your family should have an adequate plan in place. Some of the priorities should include making home renovations and putting together a team of caregivers to help out with your senior loved one’s care. Continue reading to find tips for transitioning your parent from an assisted living facility to home care.
1. Develop a Good Care Plan
Before your loved one moves, your family needs to decide who will help out around the house and which duties each family member will commit to handling. One of the benefits of home care is that your loved one doesn’t need to share a caregiver with anyone else. It’s best to create the schedule before moving your loved one from assisted living, and make sure to develop a backup plan to use in case of emergency.
Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of at-home care. You can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
2. Make Changes to the Home
Your loved one’s home may need to undergo changes, depending on his or her current skills and health. For example, if your parent has mobility problems, you’ll need to remove throw rugs to reduce the risk of falling. You should also install benches in the bathrooms to give your loved one a place to sit when he or she needs a break. Installing grab bars, extra lighting, and ramps throughout the home are other changes you can make when moving your loved one out of assisted living.
3. Manage Medications
Your loved one will need someone to run errands, which includes picking up prescriptions. You’ll need to develop a system to ensure your loved one takes his or her medications properly to reduce the risk of overmedicating or missing a dosage. You could use smartphone apps, leave notes for your parent, or have someone call or stop by the house to remind your loved one when it’s time to take his or her medicine. Managing the prescriptions could enhance treatment and reduce the risk of hospitalization.
4. Choose the Best Home Care Agency
If you and your siblings work full-time but your parent needs constant care, look into hiring a professional caregiver. A home care agency can assign a caregiver who suits your loved one’s needs best, especially if your parent requires specialized care for an age-related condition like dementia, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s. When selecting a caregiver, encourage your loved one to help with the process and give his or her opinion.
When researching agencies that provide elder care, Tucson, AZ, families are usually looking for flexible care plans, compassionate and highly trained caregivers, and 24/7 availability. Whether you need respite care to take a break from your caregiving duties or your senior loved one needs around-the-clock assistance at home, you can rely on Home Care Assistance.
5. Coordinate with Staff at the Assisted Living Facility
The assisted living facility will have information about your loved one’s current schedule, including mealtimes, activities, sleep and nap patterns, and more. Therefore, the first thing your family should do before moving your loved one is coordinate with the assisted living staff. Developing a transition plan could make the move easier for your parent and the rest of your family. In most cases, the administration staff at the facility can help with the coordination process, advising you about the logical steps to follow and setting up meetings with necessary parties.
Certain age-related conditions can make it more challenging for seniors to age in place safely and comfortably, but Tucson 24-hour care experts are available around the clock to help seniors manage their health. Whether your loved one is living with dementia or is recovering from a stroke, you can trust the professional live-in caregivers from Home Care Assistance to enhance his or her quality of life. Call Home Care Assistance at (520) 276-6555 to learn more about our flexible and customizable senior care plans.