If you are caring for an elderly loved one, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, but there are options available.
Nursing home care is not the only choice, and there may be better options available to yourself and your family. Lets’ take a look at different types of elder care you can consider for your loved ones and how to find the best elder care providers in your area.
In-home care
This involves someone coming to the home and providing needed services like bathing and grooming. These professionals can also help with errands and light housework. The advantage of this form of senior care is that it provides a familiar activity; it can help with loneliness; and it may allow your loved one to remain in their own home.
Day care
If your elder does not require constant care, check into adult day care centers. Here, senior citizens have activities available during the day while you are at work. Plus, their needs will be tended to by professionals so you can relax and not worry. A disadvantage is the cost, and finding a good center can be difficult.
Respite care
Another form of senior care is respite care. This gives you a break from your elder; it also provides help for those times when you need to run errands or take time off work. It may give you peace of mind knowing that your loved one is being looked after while you are away.
5 Tips to find the best elder care providers in your area
- Talk to friends and family about elder care providers that they have used in the past. If you do not know anyone who has needed to use an elder care provider before, ask at work, or even call your local Chamber of Commerce. Make sure to check out online reviews. These are great places to start when it comes to finding an elder care provider.
- Check with your Area Agency on Aging for names of elder care providers in your area. These are services that are often subsidized by the government, so they can be extremely helpful to you when it comes to costs.
- Look online for local senior citizen organizations in your area, as they can provide referrals to elder care providers within your community. You can often find out about their services through a simple online search.
- Talk to your loved one’s doctor for a list of referrals to local elder care providers. If they have been seeing a doctor or therapist, they might be more likely to recommend someone that they feel is appropriate for your loved one.
- Stop by a local senior citizen center and ask the staff for elder care providers in your area. Often, these centers provide information about health services and important community events, so they will likely be more than happy to help you find an elder care provider that can meet your needs.