If we don’t initiate a conversation about senior care with our parents before they “need” it, it may be too late to convince them once they really do need in-home care.
Sure, your parents are thriving, successful professionals right now, or maybe they have taken really good care of their physical health so you’re not worried about elder care…yet. They are five to ten years away from retirement, and it can feel kind of early to start planning for senior care today. But when seniors get to the point where their mental faculties start shutting down, it gets harder to convince them that in-home care is the best option out of all the other types of senior living options out there. Strong, independent adults don’t want help. They are the ones who want to help others! Getting headstrong seniors to admit they need help feels like a slap in the face. Now, you see what they don’t see: they have become visibly frail, but they are still living in denial about their condition. What do you do?
Get the County to evaluate your elderly loved one
Contact the County where your parent lives. If your elderly loved one lives alone, Adult Protective Services or another non-profit and/or governmental agency can send someone to see if your loved one is able to take care of herself. Due to HIPAA law, some government agencies may not tell you your loved one’s condition even though you were the one who requested the evaluation. However, A-1 Home Care can help you find a loophole if you think that your loved one could be a danger to herself, especially if she is experiencing mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of Alzheimer’s and/or dementia. A-1 Home Care will conduct a complimentary assessment of your elderly loved one and identify possible environmental hazards (if applicable.)
Talk to an Elder Care Advocate
A-1 Home Care has a list of resources that you can contact regarding elder care law and advocacy. Don’t just talk to one expert. Talk to a variety of experts from multiple agencies and see what you can find. Oftentimes it is more helpful to reach a nonprofit than a governmental agency because they put you on hold forever. When you call A-1 Home Care, you will always be connected to a live operator who is happy to help. Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can get the help you need no matter what time it is. Never have to deal with an automated answering system again!
Evidence as Proof for Power of Attorney
If you find an official to assist on your behalf and to alert you to the true physical and mental condition of your elderly loved one, you can file for Power of Attorney (POA). The problem with dementia is that sometimes your elderly loved one will have long moments of lucidity, especially in the early stages of the disease. If an evaluator finds that your loved one is “fine” and the place looks “decent,” you may not get enough evidence to prove that your loved one will need help, but you don’t want to wait until an emergency arises.
Call It “Companion Care”
You’ve done your research, and evidence suggests that your elderly loved one is still lucid enough to handle her own, yet other evidence that the evaluator did not catch still lurks in your memory bank and you just know that your elderly loved one will need help very soon. Call on A-1 Home Care for 24-hour companion care. Don’t call it “senior care.” The use of language is so important, especially in this situation. People can respond positively or react negatively to in-home care, depending on how you speak about it. If you introduce a caregiver as a “new friend” you want your loved one to meet, your elderly loved one will be more receptive. As mentioned earlier in this article, it becomes harder for seniors to accept help when their mental faculties are shutting down. If your loved one establishes a trusting relationship with a caregiver she knows, the transition from independence to dependence upon others will be smoother.
About A-1 Home Care
A-1 Home Care is a licensed, bonded, and insured home care agency that delivers exceptional in-home care to seniors and their families all over Calabasas, Sherman Oaks, Thousand Oaks, Hollywood, Glendale, Burbank, and other parts of LA County. As one of the few state-licensed agencies in California, we offer insured and bonded care that protects your elderly loved ones from scam artists, fraud, and predators. When seniors bond with their awesome, compassionate, and highly skilled caregivers from A-1 Home Care, the last thing you have to worry about is if your parent is bonding with the wrong kind of caregiver.
For more info about elder law and advocacy, call A-1 Home Care today at (818) 980-0094 or visit our website https://www.a-1homecare.com/ for services in your area.
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