When Does a Senior Need 24-Hour Home Care?

One of the major benefits of working with Visiting Angels Palmer is that treatment doesn't need to start at the highest hands-on level of care. Families can start with just a few hrs of help and develop the program if their loved one's requirements change. The Palmer office offers a range of alternatives including hourly visits, overnight help, weekend and holiday coverage, and 24hr care.

That flexibility is important with the minor adjustments that happen in a senior lifes needs. Keith Jordan, owner and director of Visiting Angels Palmer, has over 20 years of business expertise including hands-on work in senior nursing institutions and hospitals. This experience has been turned into a concept of person-centered, relationship-based treatment with clients and their families.

These are the standard and unconventional procedures for removing the appendix. Caregiver compatibility is especially important when the number of care hours is increasing. With our Select Your Caregiver® approach, Visiting Angels matches each senior with a caregiver who meets their needs, preferences, personality and schedule. Care plan and caregiver schedule can alter with requirements.

 

For a while, it might have been enough to check in on an aging parent a couple of times a week. You swing by after work, help with shopping on the weekend or call to ensure they've taken their medications. Then, in one instant or in many, something changes. Those visits that formerly felt adequate begin to seem like they're leaving too many hours unexplained.

If you've found yourself lying awake worrying if your loved one is safe overnight, or drove back to their house a second time in one day because something didn't sit right, you're already pondering the question this article is meant to help you with: Is it time for more constant home care?

This is the exact moment of crisis faced by families in Palmer and the adjacent areas of Hampden, Monson, Wales, Holland and Ware every single day. Below we'll discuss the practical signs that occasional support may no longer be enough, discuss the variations between levels of care and provide you with a checklist to bring to your next family talk.

Practical Signs That Occasional Visits Aren't Enough Anymore

The move to extra hours of care rarely arises because of one big occurrence. More often it is a pattern of little moments that add up. Here are the scenarios we most often see when families come to us because an older adult requires more consistent support.

Night after night of confusion. During the day a senior who is well oriented may become confused at night, and this phenomenon has been named sundowning. If your loved one is waking up confused, calling relatives in the middle of the night or not knowing where they are, the overnight hours may have become a serious safety concern.

Concerns about wandering. The risk is too great for occasional check-ins to cover if someone starts leaving the house at odd hours, gets lost in familiar places, or can't reliably find their way home again. Wandering is unpredictable and many times happens when no one is nearby.

Falls often. One fall can be an accident. If your loved one is having a pattern of falls, near falls or is found on the floor, this is a clue that they need someone there to help them move safely and to respond promptly if something goes wrong.

Difficulty getting to the toilet safely. Many falls and considerable distress revolve around the journey to and from the bathroom, especially at night. A major signal that more coverage is required is if your loved one has had mishaps due to a lack of close aid or trouble getting there safely.

Rising demand for mobility aid. Help needs to be there when it is needed, not only when someone happens to visit. Getting up from bed to a chair, standing up or going along a corridor may now demand a steady hand.

Inability to cook meals. Skipped meals, expired food in the fridge, weight loss or dependence on snacks as cooking has become too difficult all hint at a void that a few visits per week cannot fill.

A family caregiver who is no longer able to offer proper coverage. Sometimes the clearest clue is not a new symptom at all. The family member who is holding everything together may simply be overwhelmed with all that one person can do.

If a few of them seem familiar, then maybe it's time to take that next step and find out what your alternatives really are.

Do They Often Find Themselves Alone When They Need Help?

An amazingly easy inquiry is one of the most valuable a family can ask: What if there is something that happens when no one is here that needs help?

It is good to be frank about a typical day and night. Think about:

• The time from the end of a nighttime visit until the return of another person in the morning.
• Early mornings, when getting out of bed and to the bathroom is often the most risky time.
• Weekdays in the afternoon if the family caregiver is working.
• Weekends and holidays when routine is disrupted and backup is thin.

If you have a loved one who is left unattended for any length of time when a fall, confusion, forgotten medication, or restroom emergency could occur, this is the gap you are trying to fill. It is not about spending every hour just filling it up. It's about ensuring that you have a presence in those certain windows of time when being alone is really dangerous.

The Burden on Family Caregivers

Behind most seniors receiving occasional aid is a family member quietly bearing more than anyone understands. Adult children, spouses and other relatives often become the default caregivers, never deciding to take on the position.

Usually it is not a certain task that is the hardest. It's the constant coverage. The unrelenting coverage. Providing daytime assistance, being a night owl, and giving up weekends to cover gaps over and over again strains even the most committed family caregiver. Sleep is impaired. Work becomes harder. Other relationships can suffer. And the caregiver's personal health often gets pushed to the back burner.

One individual is not meant to give 24-hour coverage indefinitely. Hiring professional caregivers doesn't indicate that you don't care. It may mean you can finally be a son, daughter, spouse or family member again instead of providing tired around-the-clock assistance.

A Few Hours, Overnight or 24-Hour Care: What's the Difference?

“Home care” is a broad term, and families are often shocked at how flexible it can be. Here's the simple explanation for the three most prevalent combinations.

Home care for a few hours. A caregiver will come in for a set amount of time, often a few hrs, to help with specific duties such as cooking a meal, assistance with bathing, running errands, companionship or providing a break for a family caregiver. This is a good solution when the current needs are predictable during the day.

Night care. Depending on the arrangements, a night time caregiver may be available during the overnight hrs. This may fit situations where the greatest risk is overnight, including nighttime confusion, numerous bathroom trips, or risk/fear of falling in the dark.

24-hour in-home care. Caregivers are there during day and night. This is usually done with a rotating team. It may be appropriate when a senior cannot safely be left alone for extended periods.

The correct level often changes. Many families start with a few hrs and expand coverage as needs increase.

What 24-Hour Home Care Really Means

It is helpful to clarify what continuous home care is like on a day-to-day basis, as it is typically less daunting than families imagine. With 24-hour home care, caregivers help an older adult stay comfortable and safe at home by helping with:

• Daily routines to maintain the familiar cycle of waking, resting and activity.
• Food, from planning and meal prep to encouraging eating properly.
• Personal care, including bathing, dressing, grooming with dignity.
• Mobility, giving a secure base for transfers, walking and moving around the home easier.
• Companionship so your loved one doesn't have to be alone.
• Medication reminders to help ensure meds are taken on time.
• Household assistance, including minor house keeping, laundry and keeping living areas safe.

The through-line is presence. Occasional visits cannot guarantee someone will be present to detect a change, lend a hand and respond when help is needed.

Home Care Is Different Than Nursing or Medical Care

This is a crucial distinction, and one that families often wonder about. Non-medical home care, often known as senior care or aged care, is about daily life, safety and companionship. Caregivers help with the activities of daily living. They don't provide skilled medical care.

This is different from several other services families may have heard of:

• Skilled nursing is care provided by licensed nurses for medical needs such as wound care, injections or management of complex conditions.
• Home health care is typically short-term, physician-ordered clinical care offered in the home, often following an illness or procedure, by medical professionals such as nurses or therapists.
• Medical treatment refers to the diagnoses, prescriptions and clinical procedures carried out by doctors and other licensed providers.

These services supplement, rather than replace, home care. A senior might be under the care of their doctor, get clinical visits from a home health organization, and have a caregiver who provides the day-to-day support that keeps them safe and comfortable the rest of the time.

A Family Conversation Checklist

When you sit down to speak about whether increased care hours make sense, this checklist can keep the discussion real. Think about whether your loved one:

• [ ] Has fallen, nearly fallen, or been found on the floor in the past few months
• [ ] Becomes confused, anxious, or disoriented at night
• [ ] Has wandered, gotten lost, or left home unsafely
• [ ] Struggles to get to and from the bathroom safely
• [ ] Needs a steady hand for standing, walking, or transferring
• [ ] Is skipping meals or no longer able to cook safely
• [ ] Misses medications or takes them incorrectly
• [ ] Is regularly alone during hours when help might be needed
• [ ] Seems isolated, withdrawn, or lonely
• [ ] Relies on a family caregiver who is exhausted or stretched thin

And consider whether your family:

• [ ] Can reliably cover days, nights, and weekends without burning out
• [ ] Has a plan for what happens if the main caregiver gets sick or needs a break
• [ ] Feels confident your loved one is safe during the hours no one is present

If you're checking several boxes, it's a strong sign that a conversation about additional home care hours, overnight coverage, or 24-hour home care is worth having.

When Needs Change Suddenly

The willingness to modify the amount of care your loved one receives as needed due to changes in their condition is just as important to ensuring their safety in their own home.

It is helpful to assess quickly what your loved one's new needs are if you find yourself needing to increase the number of hours of care your loved one has been receiving. This typically occurs after they have experienced some sort of loss of stability, such as difficulty walking, inability to climb stairs or transfer from bed or chair without assistance.

We're Here to Help, Right Here in Palmer

Making decisions about when regular visits, such as daily care, need to become full-time care is one of the most difficult decisions families have to make. You do not have to make those decisions alone, nor do you have to decide how many hours of care your loved one will need based upon guesswork.

Visiting Angels Palmer offers caring and nonmedical home care services to families in the Palmer, Massachusetts area as well as many other areas of our service region. Those communities include Hampden, Monson, Wales, Holland and Ware. We are able to assist with a variety of situations, whether it is for a few hours of assistance each week, 24-hour care, or something in between. Our staff will be happy to discuss all available options for you and help you create a care plan that meets the individualized needs of your loved one and helps alleviate concerns from your entire family.

508-344-9916Contact Us