In-home care services could be the solution you’ve been looking for when you live too far away to care for your elderly parents. Even if you live in Sydney, in an emergency, one side of the city to the other, is just a little too far.
The need to care for your aging parents many induce feelings of guilt, often greatly intensified by distance. You may feel bad that you can’t visit as much as you should, or call as often as you’d like. Whether you’re interstate or live abroad, giving up your life to be a caregiver is big ask, and so is inviting your parents to move in with your family.
So what’s the next best thing to ensure they get aged care needed, and you get peace of mind? In-home care services.
An increasing number of older Australians are getting care at home, rather than in nursing homes.
In February 2017, the Federal Government restructured aged care funding, allocating home care packages to individuals rather than aged care providers. This means more now, than ever, in-home care is a viable option.
What are the benefits of in-home care?
There are several benefits for choosing in-home care over moving your parents into a care facility.
1. Reduces stress on everyone involved.
Selling a house is stressful at the best of times, especially if under duress. Lessening the burden on your parents to sell up, parting with their precious family home with all their furniture and precious memories and move into a new place with new routines and new people often all under duress, will significantly lessen the pressure when they know they can stay at home.
Also removed, is the stress of trying to find and assess the perfect aged-care facility, where you can be sure your parent/s will received the respect, care and attention they so rightly deserve.
If they know they are staying in their own home, rather than moving to an aged-care home, then they will be more accepting of a carer popping in to help out and make life easier staying at home.
2. Better sense of well-being and purpose.
There’s no place like home, certainly rings true with many of us, and ageing parents even more so. Often psychologically, moving into a retirement village or nursing home, represents the last stop before the funeral home. Having capacity to have control over your environment is essential for a sense of purpose, independence and freedom. Without these, many older people feel unwanted and lack a sense of purpose, which significantly impacts mental health. Depression is commonly felt among older people, so helping people to stay in their own environments is key to a sense of well-being.
Retirement villages and nursing homes have complex contracts, are expensive and quickly suck up cash with on goings. In most cases, elderly parents are mortgage free and primary places of residence are not included in the Government asset test. In-home care services are becoming more affordable especially when supported by the My Aged Care in-home care packages. Looking at this as an option, is always recommended as a first step when considering living arrangements for your elderly parents. Remembering that it is their money to spend and not your money to inherit can sometimes be another complex issue for some families.
3. What kind of services does in-home care provide?
You don’t need to be sick, infirmed or bed ridden to access in-home care services. The needs of any 2 people are never the same, nor is the situation under which they are seeking in-home care. A good in-home care provider will ask lots of ‘discovery’ questions to identify exactly what you needs are and will custom design the care level best suited to your individual situation.
In-home care service levels can be from 24 hours 365 days year to a few hours per week. Services range from assistance with daily chores to personal care including providing meals, transport assistance, dispensing of medication, even household chores or simply companionship, through to 24/7 nursing care for the aged or those with disabilities.
All care is client-centred, aimed at maintaining independence for as long as possible and providing assistance as needed, without disrupting normal daily routines or lifestyles.
Home care packages can include but aren’t limited to:
- Meal preparation
- Mobility and transportation
- Medication management
- Respite care
- Companionship
- Alzheimer’s and dementia care
- General housekeeping
- Transitioning—ideal for those recently discharged from hospital who are normally independent but need a helping hand while recovering
- Concierge services—assistance with taxes, finding a health professional or solicitor, etc.
- Assistance navigating the complex web service platforms of My Aged Care and Centrelink
How much does in-home care cost?
A recent study by the national Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre discovered there are significant financial benefits from home care. Costs for carers vary depending on the type of services required and the number of hours. Your elderly parents may be quite capable of looking after themselves, but you need the assurance that comes with knowing someone is keeping a watchful eye on them to ensure they’re eating properly and taken their medication. For that reason, costs are usually assessed on an individual basis. Financial assistance may be available through government-funded sources such as My Aged Care.
Where can I find a caregiver in Western Sydney?
Choosing an in-home care provider can be difficult when you’re a trying to put plans in place from interstate or even overseas. You will need to conduct careful research. The internet, Facebook, LinkedIn are some good places to start, but also, speak to other people who have used similar services and hear their experiences. A good care provider should have good testimonials and recommendations available on their website or on social platforms. Look for both written and video testimonials and don’t be afraid to ask for referees.
365 Care, based in Girraween, in Sydney’s Western Suburbs, New South Wales, has an impeccable reputation throughout Sydney’s west as a boutique in-home care service provider. The director and founder, John Krisenthal, knows first-hand the difficulties of caring for elderly parents as he discovered while trying to find quality in-home care solutions. He made it his mission to establish 365 Care to provide professional assistance to match the level of care normally be given by a family member. Contact us today to learn more.