How to Choose an Elderly Caregiver

Watching a loved one's health diminish due to age can be a saddening experience. It's not only frustrating for the elderly to accept the fact that they are no longer able to care for themselves, but it can be difficult for family and friends to admit that they must find a caregiver to provide them with additional support in caring for their elderly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Make sure your loved one's will and financial documents are in order. Before her health diminishes to the point that she is no longer able to make clear and conscious decisions about her legal affairs, it's a good idea to sit down with her and stress the importance of making these arrangements now. Although it's never easy to consider death, it's also important to find out how she wants to deal with end-of-life issues, such as life support.
2. Decide whether you need an elderly caregiver to just assist in the home or if a nursing home or residential housing is better. Sometimes an elderly person is still mentally cognitive and able to get up and move around on his own, but he made need assistance in driving, grocery shopping or cleaning the house. If he is able to maintain mentally and physically and just needs assistance in specific tasks, an in-home caregiver might be the best option. However, if he needs around the clock care, an in-home caregiver could be very expensive and it may be better and more affordable to place him in residential housing or a nursing home.
3. Determine how much disposable monthly income you have to contribute, combined with your loved one's assets or savings. If you are on a limited income along with the elderly one you need care for, check with Medicaid or Medicare to provide additional assistance. Knowing what your budget is will help you make a decision on how much in-home care or what type of assisted facility you can afford.
4. Find people you know and trust to refer you to an in-home caregiver or an assisted living facility for the elderly. If you've decided on an in-home caregiver, interview her and ask the caregiver for referrals from people she has cared for in the past. Contact people she has cared for, for at least six months or longer and ask if they were pleased with her service or had any complaints.
5. Check on the quality of the facility. If you've made a decision that your loved one needs 24/7 care, you need to verify that the place that she will be staying is safe and will provide adequately for her physical and emotional needs. Every state should have a licensing board that provides a record of reported incidents at assisted living facilities. Ask for records from the last several years from the facilities you've chosen and see which one has the least incidents out of 100 rooms.
6. Take a tour of the assisted living facility. Find out what kinds of activities they provide for their residents and make a point to talk with some of the elderly who live there to see if they are happy with the facility. Talk to the caregivers who work there to see what type of people they are and whether they enjoy their job. Come back unannounced at a later date to walk around the grounds and go to rooms they didn't take you to, to ensure it's clean and nothing seems out of the ordinary.
7. Get a network of friends and family to help. Aging and realizing you are no longer able to get out and do the things you used to can be very lonely for the elderly. Make arrangements with your network for people to visit your loved one on different days and plan activities to take them out and socialize. This way you don't become overstressed and tired from trying to do it all yourself and your loved one doesn't feel isolated and become depressed.