Planning Home Care For Your Loved One From Another State
As our loved ones get older and need more assistance, our first instinct is to provide them with as much help as we possibly can. What happens to those of us whose loved one lives in a different state? Our ability to help changes quite a bit, but it still remains vital to the quality of life our seniors continue to have.
About 15% of families deal with long-distance care situations. It creates challenges that aren’t there for families local to their aging loved ones. However, keeping in mind that you are still their best advocate will go a long way toward helping you determine your overall role in their care plan.
Whether your loved one needs constant or part-time in-home care, the process for you stays the same. You will still be responsible for communicating your loved one’s needs – especially if they cannot do so themselves.
So, take a deep breath, start at the bottom, and work your way up. First things first, it’s important for you to know and understand all of their needs.
Spend Time With Your Loved One
Communicating with them is the best way to know everything your loved one needs. Despite living in another state, try to find the time to visit your loved one to observe their daily routines, talk to their doctors about their health, and find out what you can do to assist. Your loved one might not be comfortable directly telling you everything because they don’t want to burden you.
Let them know you have observed they might need a little help.
Each family’s conversation will be structured differently, but the basic elements should always be the same. When approaching your loved one about their health changes, it is best practice to come from a place of care, respect, and understanding. Talk to them in a way that validates their needs and feelings while supporting them.
Do Research on Local Organizations
Once you have an understanding of your loved ones’ health needs, the next step is to look into organizations that are local to them. Give each of them a call and ask questions to determine which one you think might be the best fit for you and your family.
Local message boards and review sites are also a great way to research these organizations further. While talking directly to the organizations gives you a solid idea of how they handle things, it shouldn’t be your only source of information about their business. It is also important to know the opinions of their actual customers. You need direct and indirect research on each organization to decide what is best for your loved one.
Once you have decided which organization you want to go with, having a face-to-face conversation is essential. If you don’t have the means or time to travel to your loved one’s home to meet in person, a video call will work just as well. This way, you know who will be taking care of your loved one even if you can’t be there physically very often.
Enlist the Help of Someone Local
If you cannot be there in person for many decision-making decisions for your loved one, then enlisting the help of a local relative, family friend, or a professional caregiver is your best option. You can still do many things from afar, but it would be good to have a backup local person to stand in for you whenever possible. For example, the first time a home health provider comes to the home, your loved one might feel more at ease if there is someone there who is familiar with them.
This person can also assist with making day-to-day decisions regarding care. We aren’t always afforded the luxury of waiting for an answer to a care question, so having a local person there to help out can work wonders. This will take the strain off you and ensure your loved one is properly looked after.
If possible, your local helper might also be able to step in and provide care whenever the home care provider cannot. Even having them there as a companion for your loved one will help during times of change and struggle.
Being away from your loved one when their health needs change is never easy, but knowing you can count on others to fill the gaps will help ease that transition. Westchester Family Care is here to assist you in any way possible because we know how important family is and how to ensure your family bonds remain without any stress.