Navigating the Home Care Journey
Finding the right support for your loved one can be a big step. We’re here to help you understand their needs and explore the best care options!
What Type of Care Does My Loved One Need?
Getting proper support for a senior loved one usually starts with an honest assessment of their current living arrangement, physical and mental health, long term goals and needs, and family situation. If you are asking this question, you probably realize care is needed but aren’t sure what level.
Get Started: Complete an Initial Screening Assessment
Home Care and Home Health Differences
Families will often call Kadan Homecare seeking home health services after their loved one has been in the hospital because in-home medical care is needed. While ‘home care’ and ‘home health care’ are often confused, home care is not the same as in-home medical care.
Home health care and home care are different, yet they can work together and complement each other.
* Eligibility dependent on client policy
| Home Health Care | Home Care | |
|---|---|---|
| * Billed through medical insurance | ||
| Eligible for Long Term Care insurance reimbursement | ||
| * Paid for by Medicare | ||
| Requires doctor’s order or referral | ||
| Only available for a fixed finite period | ||
| Temporary or long-term care options | ||
| Hands-on administration of medication, physical therapy or occupational therapy, wound care | ||
| Skilled nursing services | ||
| May occur after a stay in a skilled rehab facility or hospital stay |
Even if the client currently needs home health care, Kadan can complement that and find a way to work with any type of service if the facility is willing to allow outside care. We can help you stay wherever you want to be.
Choosing the Type of Senior Care Needed
Kadan’s intake process carefully unpacks what’s happening with each individual and their families. Based on what’s important to the client and what the family wants, Kadan offers resources and referrals within its extensive professional network and explains different scenarios that could work for the senior and his or her family. It’s recommended to be proactive about planning care than waiting until an emergency or crisis occurs, or signs of dementia escalate.
Signs that Home Care Assistance May Be Needed
Physical
Signs
- Wearing dirty clothes
- Body odor
- Disheveled hair
- Weight loss
- Bruises or burns
- Falls
- Pain or weakness
Emotional and
Mental Signs
- Memory loss
- Loneliness
- Sadness or depression
- Isolation
- Loss of appetite
- Signs of dementia
- Apathy
Home
Environment
Signs
- Mail piled up/unpaid bills
- Piles of dirty laundry or clutter
- Expired food or lack of food
- Decline in home cleanliness
- Temperature in the house doesn’t match the season
- Safety hazards
Top Care Concerns for Seniors
Getting home care specifically tailored to address the three most prominent concerns—nutrition, UTI prevention and proper hygiene—is paramount because they directly impact a senior’s overall physical health, cognitive function and emotional well-being. Neglecting them can lead to rapid decline and severe complications, ultimately making a profound difference in their overall quality of life.
Medication Oversight
For many seniors, managing their medications is a significant part of daily life, often involving several prescriptions to address different health conditions.
Specific Concerns:
- Medication Interactions: Different medications, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements, can sometimes interact in ways that are harmful or reduce effectiveness.
- Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs): Older adults are more susceptible to experiencing side effects from medications, which can sometimes be serious.
- Adherence: Sticking to a medication schedule can be difficult due to various reasons, including forgetfulness, complicated instructions, or physical limitations.
Nutrition
Seniors often experience changes in taste, appetite, and digestion, making it challenging to maintain a healthy diet.
Specific Concerns:
- Malnutrition: This can lead to weakened immune systems, muscle loss, and cognitive decline.
- Dehydration: Seniors are more susceptible to dehydration due to decreased thirst sensation and kidney function.
- Dietary Restrictions: Many seniors have dietary restrictions due to diabetes, heart disease, or other health conditions.
- Difficulty with Meal Preparation: Limited mobility or cognitive impairments can make grocery shopping and cooking difficult.
Improper Hygiene
Maintaining personal hygiene is essential for physical and emotional well-being.
Specific Concerns:
- Mobility & Cognitive Barriers: Limited mobility, cognitive decline and fear of falling can make bathing and grooming challenging.
- Health & Social Risks: Poor hygiene can lead to skin infections, discomfort and social isolation.
- Oral Health Neglect: Neglecting oral hygiene can result in dental problems and other health issues. Following care plans that are put into place by medical professionals.
UTI Prevention
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are common in seniors, particularly women, and can have severe consequences if left untreated.
Specific Concerns:
- Symptom Obscurity: Seniors may have difficulty recognizing UTI symptoms, which can include confusion, agitation and falls, rather than typical urinary symptoms.
- Risk Factors: Reduced mobility, incontinence and chronic conditions like diabetes increase UTI risk.
- Escalated Complications: Untreated UTIs can lead to kidney infections and sepsis.
Following care plans that are put into place by medical professionals, Kadan caregivers enhance senior well-being by providing tailored support in nutrition, UTI prevention and hygiene. They assist with meal planning, hygiene routines and monitor for health changes, ensuring comfort and dignity while prioritizing medical directives. By addressing these core needs, caregivers significantly improve seniors’ quality of life, promoting independence and well-being within their care setting.
Home Care Wherever Home Is
No matter where home is for the senior, Kadan can work with and complement any level of care.
We’ve built an extensive referral network that includes other senior care providers, aging life managers, safety specialists, physical and occupational therapists, equipment consultants and meal providers. As Certified Dementia Practitioners, we also know when it’s time to seek an escalated level of care for your loved one.
Companion Care
Care Needs:
- Good nutrition/eating consistently
- Help around the house and with errands
- Companionship
- Pet care
- Home safety and addressing fall risks
- Little-to no assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- Medication reminders
- Transportation assistance
Settings:
- Senior’s home
- Family member’s home
- Independent living apartment
- 55+ retirement community
When to Escalate:
- Caregiver notes changes in cognitive abilities or physical health
- The doctor says it isn’t safe to stay at home, frequent falls
- Challenges with mobility
- 24-hour family support is inaccessible
- Concerns with safety and hygiene, completely unable to maintain the home, not paying bills on time
- Senior can’t get out of bed or is frequently sick
- Senior unable to use home health equipment, such as stair lifts, without hands-on assistance
- Senior becomes homebound and lonely, family suffers burnout
Personal Care
Care Needs:
- Physical safety and moderate level of monitoring (every two to four hours)
- Help with continence issues
- Complete assistance with ADLs
- Help getting out of bed
- Rehabilitation from hospital stay, surgery or other major health events
- Medication reminders and oversight
- Nutrition monitoring
Settings:
- Assisted living facility
- Skilled nursing facility
- Rehab facility
- Nursing home
- Home or residence
- Hospice facility
When to Escalate:
- Serious decline in cognitive abilities
- Senior poses a safety risk to self and others, possibly becomes combative
- Senior is at serious risk of wandering
- 24-hour monitoring is needed
Dementia Care
Care Needs:
- Physical safety and lockdown protection from outside hazards
- Complete assistance with ADLs
- Help with serious continence issues
- 24-hour monitoring
- Companionship and interaction
Settings:
- Memory care facility or unit
- Private home or residence
Hospice and End of Life Care
Care Needs:
- Medication reminders and oversight
- Complete assistance with ADLs
- Help with serious continence issues
- 24-hour monitoring
- Companionship and encouragement
Settings:
- Home or residence
- Hospice facility
- Skilled nursing facility
Transition Care
Care Needs:
- Stabilization following surgery or a hospital stay
- Attention to nutrition, medication protocol, following doctor’s orders, rest and recovery
- Safe and timely movement between care settings/medical follow-ups
- Personalized support through critical time following release from hospital
Settings:
- Senior’s home
- Family member’s home
- Assisted living facility
How to Budget for Care
Creating a sustainable and effective home care plan for seniors includes exploring available financial options. Proactive planning empowers families to make informed choices, ensuring access to the right level of care and promoting long-term peace of mind. Kadan team members work together to provide the highest possible level of care for a loved one while also navigating the realities of budget constraints. To facilitate this process, it’s beneficial to consider the following key factors:
- Does mom or dad have LTC policy?
- What financial resources are available?
- Is there a Power of Attorney in place?
- Is there a money manager or elder care attorney in place?
- Can an Aging Life Care Manager help?
WE CAN HELP! OUR TYPICAL TURNAROUND TIME IS 24 HOURS
Home Care Assistance from Our Family to Yours
Request a Complimentary Evaluation Today!
During your complimentary in-home consultation, our registered nurse will sensitively ask questions that enable us to personalize a program and carefully match a caregiver to your loved one’s needs. If you have questions or feel overwhelmed by the decision process, we are happy to use our knowledge and experience to make recommendations and assist you in any way we can. For more information or to talk with our team call 770-396-8997 or email info@kadan.org.
