24 Hour Care

Often times people who are being discharged from a hospital or rehabilitation facility will require round the clock care to ensure their safety in the home while they are recovering. However, there are those circumstances that require long term 24 hour care. What ever the situation, there are several options to consider.

Long term 24 hour care can be set up in a variety of ways. Some people may choose to go to a nursing facility while they recover or for the long term. Others may choose to stay at home and bring a company in to provide round the clock care. This can be achieved through privately hiring a person to live-in and provide the care, however often times because these people work privately, they do not carry the insurance that would be needed to protect the homeowner from litigation in the event of an accident or dismissal. Others may choose to hire a home care agency such as Home Instead Senior Care. The home care company will provide a consistent team of caregivers that will share two 7 hours shifts and one 10 hour overnight shift per day. This option will be more expensive but will provide the most comprehensive care. It will provide the family with one point person who will manage the schedule, the required insurance for protection, and regular quality assurance visits to ensure that the care being provided is meeting the family and client’s expectations.

Our personal experience with live-in care is this: caring for an elderly person round the clock, 24/7 can be draining and lends itself to burn out. When someone is frustrated, tired and needing a break, (which they may not always speak up about) they can’t possibly do their best work. Also there are no checks and balances in place when one person is “running the show”. If you can find a loyal and trusted friend to do live-in care that is a wonderful option. But please be careful with this option, we have seen far too many people regret not first doing their homework.

Another option that many people choose is to have the elderly family member attend an Adult Day Care facility during the day that is paid for by a Medicaid or Medicare program and utilize a home care company to do the rest of the schedule. Most home care companies can also do the transportation to and from the day care center. This option provides a bit of a cost savings having the daytime care paid for by Medicaid. A word of mouth referral can speak volumes for some people. One of the best sources for this type of referral is your local clergy who likely know which parish members have been using 24 hour care. We often find ourselves serving as a backup for these word of mouth referrals. Frequently a family will use us to give a live in caregiver some much needed relief.