If someone you care about has been diagnosed with dementia and requires home care, selecting the right provider is a vital choice. Here are some tips to help you find someone who is ready and willing to provide quality assistance that’s tailored to the patient’s unique care needs.
1. Be specific in listing the dementia patient’s needs.
Since no two dementia patients display the exact same symptoms, it’s a wise idea to come up with a specific list of care needs for your loved one. Make sure to list each daily activity which the patient will need assistance with, such as personal hygiene, medication reminders, light housekeeping, transportation to doctor’s appointments, shopping, meal preparation, companionship, and supervision. If the patient has needs that require medical training, such as injections, wound care, or physical therapy, you should choose a care group that includes licensed medical professionals trained in providing those services.
2. Be detailed in explaining what you would expect a care provider to do for the patient.
Not only should you have a concrete picture in mind of what your loved one needs from a care provider, but you should also be clear in laying out your service expectations before agreeing to hire a care provider. For example, make sure to explain that when you say “companionship care,” you want the care provider to interact with the patient by conversing throughout the day, playing games, reading to them, and engaging in certain other specified activities with them.
Explain that when you say you want “personal care” for the patient, that means you expect the patient to be helped to the toilet and changed promptly if necessary, bathed at least a certain number of times per week, have help with brushing their hair and teeth, and have assistance getting dressed each morning and getting into their pajamas at night.
The more specific your instructions are, the more your prospective care provider will know what to expect. You’ll also be able to find out more quickly if a provider is or isn’t prepared to meet your expectations.
3. Look online at local care providers in your area.
Check out the websites of local care providers. Look for signs of professionalism, such as licensing, training, and whether the service is bonded and insured. See if they mention screening and performing background checks when hiring their care providers. You’ll want to be sure to pick a service that specifically mentions providing workers with dementia care training.
4. Be proactive in contacting care providers.
When you make an initial call to prospective care providers, you can ask them detailed questions about the services they provide right over the phone. This is a great time to go over your compiled list of care needs and expectations. If a provider sounds promising, set up an in-home interview.
5. Meet with prospective care providers face to face before hiring them.
Having the prospective care provider come to the home for an interview can give you even more of an idea of what kind of care they’ll provide. You can go into even more detail about your expectations, as well as get a feel for their personality, level of professionalism, and attention to detail. You can also let them know more about the patient, including symptoms, preferences, and daily or weekly routines. Having several family members present for these meetings is ideal in order to make sure that nothing important is left out of the discussion.
Finding out as much as possible about a care provider before hiring them can offer reassurance to caregivers and patients alike. To find out more specific questions to ask and discussion topics to cover with prospective care providers, check with your loved one’s personal physicians.
Home Care Helpers, Statesville, NC
If you or someone you care about would like to find out more about the exceptional services we have to offer to clients in Statesville, Mooresville, Troutman and the surrounding areas in North Carolina, we’d be happy to meet with you. Visit our website at HomeCareHelpers.net. Give us a call today at (704) 810-1924 to learn more.
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