Introducing a Caregiver as Part of Your Home Care Services in Calgary
It’s not uncommon for seniors in need of care to be hesitant about bringing a caregiver into their home. Aging and chronic conditions or disabilities often affect daily self-care activities like dressing, bathing, and eating. They also affect tasks vital for independence, such as cooking, cleaning, managing finances, and transportation. However, many people will be unwilling to admit they need help, even when they are struggling to keep up with these tasks.
Your senior loved one may be reluctant to get help because they fear losing their independence, don’t want to be a burden, aren’t sure who they can trust, or fear giving up control. Alternatively, it could be that they simply don’t want a stranger in their home. It’s understandable that both the senior in need of care and their family may take some time to adjust to getting a caregiver - this is a major change.
Here are a few tips from our home care services Calgary team to help you successfully introduce a caregiver into your senior loved one’s life.
Discuss getting home care services in Calgary
Your senior loved one may have begun displaying signs that they need help at home. It’s important to have a discussion with them about the home care services in Calgary available, and how they stand to benefit from receiving private home care assistance. If your senior loved one has objections to getting home care services in Calgary or beyond, it’s important to let them express their doubts to you. They are more likely to accommodate bringing on a caregiver when they feel that have been listened to, and they know that their opinions matter. Additionally, by listening to their concerns you can also help address their fears and put them at ease.
Home care services in Calgary help not just the person receiving care, but their family too! Your senior loved one may be more open to the idea of senior home care if it’s presented to them primarily as something that helps you rather than them. Let your senior loved one know how professional home care services in Calgary will help ease their family caregiver’s workload while allowing them to maintain their independence in their own home.
It can be difficult to navigate a conversation about senior home care with your loved one. If you’d like support from our senior care Calgary team or want to know more about the assistance we can provide to improve your senior loved one’s quality of life, connect with a member of our team. We’d be happy to help.
Involve your senior loved one in the caregiver selection process
While you have the option to find, interview, and supervise caregivers yourself, there are many benefits to finding a caregiver through a home care agency or a professional home care provider, such as Foothills Home Services. By using a professional home care provider, you guarantee that the caregivers have the necessary skills to provide your senior loved one with the best possible care. You’ll be sure that the caregiver is eligible to work in Canada, and that they have been adequately screened for the job. Professional home care providers are able to ease your workload beyond the hiring process - they can manage scheduling, payments, and the mediation of any disagreements that may arise.
You can help your senior loved one become more comfortable with the idea of receiving Calgary home care services by involving them in the caregiver selection process. Foothills Home Services believes in interviewing the senior in need of care with their family so that we can set up an individualized care plan for them. We determine the needs of the seniors we care for by first doing an assessment. This helps us provide the best care plan and the right caregivers to meet your senior loved one’s unique needs. We involve our clients in the caregiver hiring process to ensure the care plan, care recipient and caregiver are all a great fit.
Ease your senior loved one into receiving home care assistance in Calgary
Once a caregiver has been selected, ease the transition into receiving home care services in Calgary by starting the services off slowly. This will give your senior loved one the time they need to adjust to having someone new in their home. At first, have the professional caregiver only come in for a few hours total each week, but not necessarily every day - have them come in once or twice a week. Make sure you or another family member are present during the caregiver’s first few hours on the job to instruct them on your senior loved one’s typical routines, especially if one of you has been more hands-on with their care up until this point. This will help your senior loved one feel more comfortable and ensure a smooth transition to professional home care assistance in Calgary.
It will take time for the relationship between the new caregiver and the care recipient to develop, but the new caregiver will take the necessary steps to build a connection. There are many benefits from a social perspective to receiving home care services in Calgary and beyond. In addition to assisting with daily activities and household tasks, The Foothills Home Services senior care Calgary team provides companionship as we deliver our high-quality home care services.
Be involved in their home care services in Calgary
Open communication can help facilitate a successful working relationship with the new caregiver. Stay in touch with your senior loved one and their caregiver to see how your senior loved one is adjusting to this new arrangement, and also to resolve any misunderstandings that may pop up. By staying involved in your senior loved one’s care, even after a professional caregiver comes into the picture, you will be able to assess for yourself how well the new caregiving arrangement is working. Foothills Home Services continuously evaluates the needs of seniors receiving care to ensure their needs are always being met, even as those needs evolve.
If you are currently considering options for senior home care services in Calgary and the surrounding areas or you have questions about receiving in-home care, the Foothills Home Services team is here and ready to help. Reach out to us today.
