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Adjusting to In Home Care

by At Home Preferred on July 2, 2012

Deciding to pursue homecare solutions for your loved one is a great option for many people in a variety of situations. In home care services give you the peace of mind you need in the comfort of you or your loved one’s own home. While having the familiarity of your own home is wonderful, home care assistance can be a major adjustment to the regular routine of one’s life and can take a little getting used to.

Consistency

First, it is important to recognize that home caregivers will be a regular part of the day. This means a new person in a familiar environment. It is important to establish a healthy relationship early on between the caregiver and patient. Take time to get to know one another and let the home caregiver familiarize themselves with the patient, their needs and the house. These things can take time to adjust to, but the sooner both sides feel comfortable with each other, the sooner it can become true companion care.

Prepare Your Loved One Emotionally

Secondly, it can be difficult and humbling for a loved one to adjust to allowing home caregivers to complete simple tasks for them that they once were able to do on their own. Talk with your loved one and your home care agency about what they will need assistance with and why it is beneficial to allow the caregiver to assist them with these tasks. Again, making the care receiver feel at ease with both being assisted and the person assisting them is key for receiving home care services.

Be Patient

Lastly, recognize that this will take some time for everyone to get used to. Making a new routine the “norm” for your life is not a bad thing, but does take time. It is important not to force the process and take the necessary time to make adjustments to the house, the patient’s surroundings in each room, and their daily routine.

Overall, adjusting to in home care is much more minor than moving to a long-term care facility, but it is still a major adjustment for all involved.