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by Mark Brodie
Home Care/Assistance Calgary
At this time 5 million Canadians are looking after a family member with long-term health issues. For 1.25 million Canadians, caregiving is a full time job in addition to work and other family tasks.
As baby boomers age Senior Care becomes a major issue due to the impact on time off work. Caregivers have to deal with illnesses, related doctor appointments and the simple daily living requirements of seniors.
Reports indicate 25% of caregivers have no help while one in four pay for private help. Up to 25% of caregivers provide at least 40 hours of personal care per week. Almost 33% of caregivers also have children at home. This is the sandwich generation.
Many sandwich generation caregivers must balance the arrangement of having both seniors and children at home and the associated loss of privacy. Caregiver quality of life is rated lower when seniors live with them, especially if children are also present.
Overall, 25% of caregivers share a home with a senior relative while 27% indicate the senior lives independently. The remaining seniors live with a spouse in a facility or with another family member.
Home Care is a strong option for families where having seniors live with them is not possible or when senior(s) want to and can stay in their own home.
Home Care can be provided privately or through the local health region. The following is a summary of medical and non-medical Home Care services offered by most private Home Care companies. Rates for these services vary and can be determined by contacting the company directly.
What is Home Care?
Nursing care: A highly skilled registered nurse can be very helpful to a cancer patient at home and can help relieve the burden on family members. With medical home care, a nurse comes into the home, looks at care needs and sets up a plan of care along with the doctor. Services may include the care of wounds and ostomy care; giving intravenous (IV) drug treatment; giving and supervising medicines; and watching for side effects. It may also include giving supportive care, like pain control, as well as health teaching and emotional support.
Physical therapy: Physical therapists can help one regain the use of impaired or weakened muscles. They also work to improve the range of motion in joints and learn to use special equipment needed for daily activities.
Occupational therapy: An occupational therapist can help with problems that keep one from doing the activities of daily living. An occupational therapist will look at what can be done, and then teaches new ways to do daily tasks such as eating, bathing, dressing, and household routines. If special equipment is needed, the patient will be taught to use it. With the therapist's help, they can learn to do more things on their own -- therefore gaining greater independence.
Speech therapy: When the ability to speak is impaired, a speech therapist can help you communicate again by teaching special techniques and ongoing practice.
Medical social workers: Social workers look at social and emotional factors that affect patients. They serve as case managers for patients with complex needs and assist with finding sources of help in the community. This can include helping the family look for financial help when needed. They also counsel patients on coping with the demands of illness, family conflicts, and grief that affect the patient's care.
Non-medical home care services are provided through the development and implementation of a care plan by a Case Manager in consultation with the family and the client. These services include housekeeping, meal preparation, medication cues, transportation to appointments or errands, bathing, dressing, general hygiene, and simple companionship with the overall goal to ensure the client is safe and secure.
How to Arrange Private Non Medical Home Care
Full Service Agency
Full service agencies employ the caregivers. They hire, screen, train and supervise the employees and place them in the older adults home. As the employer, the full service agency is responsible for all payroll taxes, social security, worker compensation, and unemployment insurance. A good full service agency should be able to produce a copy of their liability insurance and carry some sort of bond. Supervision is done by the agency, with some agencies providing care managers who directly oversee client cases, thereby lowering the risk to the consumer. The cost of a full service agency is normally higher than a private duty hire or a domestic referral agency due to these factors, however the risk is essentially lower.
Private Individual
With a private hire caregiver, the family or older adult becomes responsible for all steps of the hiring process. They must advertise, interview, and conduct background checks. Once a caregiver is selected, the older adult or family member must negotiate schedule, salary and benefits. A written contract, signed by both parties, clearly outlining all of the duties and expectations, is imperative. Liability normally falls on the client's lap when it comes to payroll taxes, social security, unemployment taxes and workers compensation cost. It is imperative to get a rider on your homeowners insurance policy to protect your assets if anything should happen to the private hire in your home. Even though a private hire may be cost effective, the safety risk is the greatest especially when the older adult lives alone without supportive family available or there is impaired judgment on the part of the older adult. The risk is greatly reduced when a family member is able to supervise the caregiver. Professional geriatric care managers are also excellent supervisors when family is not available.
When choosing homecare for yourself or an older adult, remember to take into consideration the risk level of the older adult and the familial involvement. Educate yourself on what service is best for your situation and then interview several potential agencies or individuals. Finally, think ahead, don't wait for a crisis to begin searching for the best care for you or your loved one.
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