5 Factors to Consider Before Hiring Live-in Care for An Elderly

Watching your parents grow old is difficult and frustrating, but it is the natural order of life. You get to watch them grow old only if you’re lucky. So, if you’re reading this, you have likely been blessed to spend a full life with your parent. Before you make the decision to hire a live-in caretaker for an elderly parent, there are a few things that you should consider:

1. Consider whether it is really necessary to hire a live-in caretaker.
   It might be that it is necessary, but this decision should be made thoughtfully. There are other options for daily care available. You can arrange to have a nurse or a general caretaker come over daily and help with meals and errands. Or, another option for many people is to hire a trusted relative to chip in on the work. This can dramatically reduce cost, and it eliminates variables of trust with someone new. If you arrange to only have someone there during the day time, you can install potentially life-saving emergency systems such as Life Alert in your parent’s home in case anything should happen.
2. Research the credibility of the caretaker.
   It is wise to go through a company that has a long-standing reputation in the field. Companies like A Better Way In Home Care, Inc. provide premium home care for elderly people. Also, if a company has been around for a long time, you are better able to research them and learn what other customers have experienced.
3. Make sure the caregiver knows what is expected.
   Many people want to hire a caretaker to be not only a caretaker, but also a housekeeper. It is very possible that the caregiver will be okay with this, but if this is something that you expect of them then you should absolutely communicate that with the caregiver prior to hiring. You don’t want to have anything be unclear from the beginning. Ideally, a live-in caregiver will become almost like a member of the family, and communicating with them honestly is very important for creating a good relationship and preventing disruptive turnover.
4. Involve your parent in this decision.
   It is so important to communicate with your parent. These are likely going to be your final years with your mother or father, and you don’t want to spend them forcing your parent into discomfort. Even if your parent isn’t in the same healthy state of mind you knew growing up, you can’t let yourself resent them for it. These years are called the “golden years” for a reason, and you want to maximize the quality of life that they are still able to have, as well as the quality of the time that you are able to spend with them.
5. Make sure your caregiver is a good match for your parent.
   Look at the bigger picture when you are deciding who to hire. Take everything into consideration. Yes, look at their resume. Do they have experience relative to your parent’s health conditions? If yes, look at availability and willingness to work. However, don’t let yourself get swept away by their resume on paper. This is someone who is going to be with your parent day in and day out and will likely become almost like a part of your family. If they have an unpleasant personality or if your parent doesn’t feel safe or content with them, you should heed these feelings and weigh them in your decision.