Finding In-Home Alzheimer’s Help

When faced with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s, you’ll want them to be able to stay in their own home for as long as possible. While you might be willing and able to provide much of their care, especially in the early stages, as the disease progresses, their needs will become more and more demanding. Before you become completely overwhelmed, you might want to look into finding an in-home caregiver to provide Alzheimer’s help.

This can be a daunting process, but it doesn’t have to be if you first take the time to assess your needs as well as those of your loved one. With each progressive stage of the disease, these needs will change, so this assessment will be a regular part of caring for your family member.

Before interviewing caregivers, you should determine how often you need help, and for how long each day. You can start out with just a few hours a week, or perhaps you’ll decide that you need someone every day for certain hours.


What type of caregiver look for

There are many options for in-home Alzheimer’s help, and you want to carefully choose the best caregiver for your situation. There are some important questions you’ll want to ask to determine the quality and skill of in-home caregivers.

You’ll want to know what kind of experience or qualifications a caregiver has. How long have they been providing care? What special training have they received in providing Alzheimer’s help? Are they able to provide you with certification to document this?

How available are they? Will they be flexible, or do they only offer certain set times? You’ll want to make sure that their hours suit you – not the other way around.

If you are dealing with an agency, you’ll want to know if the same person will be visiting your home each day. Continuity is important, so you’ll want to know the agency’s philosophy on this.

In the event of a problem with the in-home Alzheimer’s help, you will want to know ahead of time who to contact. Is there someone on-call at all times? If the caregiver assigned to your home doesn’t work out, how accommodating will the agency be in offering a replacement.

Financial arrangements are important to consider as well. Explore the different price ranges, and find out if you need to make any kind of a financial commitment up front. There may be financial aid available, depending on your situation.

The biggest consideration, of course, is whether the caregiver will meet the needs of the Alzheimer’s patient as well as your needs. No matter how efficient and skilled a caregiver might be, if their personality doesn’t mesh well with yours, problems can occur. Bringing someone into your home to provide Alzheimer’s help should help alleviate your stress, not cause you more.