You may have noticed some of the signs that care is needed for your loved one; maybe they’re losing mobility, struggling with fine motor skills, or having trouble remembering things. It’s not that you’re unwilling or unable to help; it’s just too much for one person to handle on top of everything else in your day to day. It’s normal to need a hand, and a home care evaluation helps to identify just how an agency can help you.
That help usually comes from an in-home caregiver, whose responsibilities might cover a variety of services that can support your loved one. Whether that’s companion care, personal care or even periodic respite care services, the evaluation helps everyone involved get the most benefit from home care services.
What Is a Home Care Evaluation?
A home care evaluation is when a representative from a home care agency visits your loved one’s home to assess their needs, situation and preferences, with the goal of developing a personalized senior care plan that meets those needs. As a secondary goal, it also helps them get to know you and others involved in your loved one’s care.
How to Prepare for a Home Care Evaluation
- Speak with your loved one about the upcoming evaluation. Let them know what’s going to happen and why, and make sure they understand that this visit is meant to benefit them. Discuss their needs, wants, routine and preferences, and make sure to note everything down.
- Get your loved one’s medical history. Compile all their medical records you can find. Make sure to get information on their medications, medical conditions and doctors’ orders, as well as any risk factors that impact their health.
- Speak with other members of the family, close friends or anyone else who needs or wants to be involved. Their feedback will be helpful, and they’ll usually ask questions or have ideas you hadn’t thought of. Noting down their questions now will limit drawn-out games of phone tag later.
The In-Home Care Evaluation Process
When the agency owner or administrator arrives at your loved one’s home, they’ll start with introductions and do a walkthrough of the place. This will help them understand what the caregiver will have to work with.
Next, they’ll sit down with you and your loved one for a conversation about your loved one’s needs. They’ll ask about current health status and medical history, as well as everyday services that might need to be done like light housekeeping and food preparation.
A good agency won’t just ask about your loved one’s needs – they’ll want to know about who they are as a person. They’ll ask about their likes, dislikes and preferred routine, as well as any activities of daily living (ADLs) that they need help with. They’ll treat their needs and wants with respect, without dismissing or demeaning them in any way.
While they’ll focus on your loved one, the representative will also want to know how they can meet your needs. They’ll want to know what led you to seek care and what you’re ultimately looking for, whether it’s to improve your loved one’s health, to provide support for the family or even to just cover for a week so you can take a vacation.
After that, they’ll take some time to evaluate your needs and come back with a proposal for your care plan.
How to Evaluate a Care Plan Proposal
When evaluating a care plan proposal, there are a few things that families looking for private caregivers look out for as good signs. A trustworthy agency will come back with a plan that makes a clear, good-faith effort to find the services that will best solve your problems. They’ll have the experience and expertise to recommend the right level and type of service for your unique situation.
If something in the proposal doesn’t work for you, they won’t become hostile or defensive – they’ll listen to you and work with you to find a way to meet your needs. Rather than telling you what to do, they’ll work as expert advisors helping you find the best way to care for your loved one.
The FirstLight Difference
FirstLight Home Care’s experienced employees can alleviate common challenges faced by family caregivers like stress and burnout. We don’t see your loved one as a medical chart – we’ll work to learn their likes and preferences, with the goal of truly getting to know them for who they are. We’ll create a customized care plan that takes the entirety of who they are into account and update the plan as their needs change.
We understand that it can be difficult for seniors to adjust to an in-home caregiver, and it’s normal for them to resist help at the start. That’s why we include a personal introduction to help your loved one feel comfortable with their caregiver before the care plan ever starts.
If you’re interested in a home care evaluation for your loved one, we’d love to speak with you. Reach out to the team at FirstLight today to start work on your loved one’s personalized care plan.