Choosing How To Handle Long-Term Care Accommodation
To give you a clear and realistic idea of how to handle long-term care and accommodations for your loved one with Alzheimer’s dementia, we’ve dedicated three blogs to this topic. The first is about how to choose a home care company, the second is about when to outsource a caregiver’s help part-time, and full-time as live-in caregiver. And the third blog is about knowing when a nursing home is needed and choosing the right one.
First, let’s state the obvious—there’s no way anyone can care for a loved one suffering from dementia without help outside of the family. If you’re like most people with a full life, working to earn a living (spending hours at the office), raising children (spending much of your free time taking them to ballet or hockey practice), working on your marriage (finding a few hours a week to spend with your partner). Then dedicating as much time as you can to visiting and taking care of one or more parents, not to mention extended family visits, you are already at the brim with life’s schedules. To throw a wrench in the works is to have to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, alone. What you need then is assistance; whether this comes from other family, friends, neighbours or other resources such as an outsourced professional caregiver.
How To Choose The Right Caregiver
When choosing a professional caregiver for your loved one, it’s vital that they love and enjoy their job. Caregiving can be emotionally and physically strenuous. This job can only be done by loving people who are dedicated, and who consider caring for someone else a most important career. This is how you avoid unwanted issues, including tardiness, carelessness, apathy, and even abuse.
Suggestions for hiring the best caregiver:
1. Deal with a reputable home care company, because they’re able to provide bonding and insurance for the caregivers they hire.
2. Ask about, and make sure the company has a philosophy and policy that prevents abuse.
3. Make sure the care staff knows how to handle emergencies.
4. Make sure the caregiver you hire has been rigorously interviewed, has had a criminal background check, has professional references and is a licensed or qualified caregiver.
5. Hire a caregiver that has a CDP designation—Certified Dementia Practitioner or other dementia education. This ensures they know how to handle situations that arise because of the person’s dementia.
6. Make sure the caregiver is motivated and friendly and interested in his or her work.
Do a Google search for home care companies in your area and call them up, ask questions about their caregivers and offerings, and meet with them before hiring (there’s nothing better than a face-to-face meeting to ensure accountability).
Stay tuned for more information on the best care and accommodations for your loved one with dementia.
Karen 🙂
Karen Tyrell, CDP
Personalized Dementia Solutions
Personalized Dementia Solutions
