How Often Should Your Parent Need Elder Care Services? How Can You Tell?

Everyone’s noticed that your dad is having a harder time around his home. He never changes his sheets, and he only does laundry if you help. It’s clear he needs elder care services, but you have no idea how often you should schedule caregiver visits. How can you tell?

Break It Up By Chore

Go through the things your dad is unable to do on his own. Once you have a list of chores he can’t do without someone helping, categorize them into daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks. Use your own routines for guidance. Here are some of the most popular elder care services.

• Bathing/Grooming – Usually daily
• Laundry – Usually weekly
• Meal Preparation and dishes – Daily
• Medications – Daily or multiple times per day
• Paying bills and organizing mail – Once or twice a month, possibly weekly
• Scheduling medical and dental appointments – Once or twice a year
• Toileting – Multiple times per day
• Transportation to stores and local businesses – Once or twice a month
• Vacuuming and many housekeeping chores – Weekly

It may help to jot down each chore on a sticky note and post it into columns on a wall. Get another colored sticky note and write down the names of family members or friends who are willing to help him. Make sure you know they’re reliable and won’t suddenly become too busy to show up.

Pull off chores that they will help complete. Use those to build an online calendar that family caregivers can access to ensure they know when they’re helping out. What’s left on the wall?

Those are the areas where you need to arrange elder care services. Look at them and decide if daily visits are required or if he really just needs someone to stop by each week. If your dad only needs someone to change sheets, make the bed, do the laundry, and vacuum carpets, weekly elder care services are enough.

On the other hand, your dad may need someone to help him get showered and dressed. He might need a caregiver to remind him to take medications and cook meals and snacks. He needs daily care.

How to Schedule Services

You have the list of things your dad struggles to do on his own. You’ve worked out how often you think he needs care. Now, it’s time to call an elder care specialist and ask about prices and scheduling. See if there is a required number of hours for daily and weekly elder care services. You might have to meet minimums.

If his main needs are laundry and housekeeping, weekly visits may be enough. More complex needs require daily elder care services. A caregiver specialist can help you better understand the frequency and take the next steps to schedule his caregiver visits. Call now to get started.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elder Care in Lodi, CA please contact the caring staff at Aging Assistant today. (916) 897-4752