Choosing the Right Care Residence For A Parent

As we get older, our needs change and older individuals need specialized services to live a safe and fulfilling life. While it might seem like a good idea to have your parents move in with you and live in the same home, you will need to make a lot of changes for them to be able to adjust. For instance, just going up the stairs can become quite difficult for older parents especially if they suffer from hip problems or other joint issues. The solution to this is either to make arrangements for them on the ground floor or install a lift that can help them make their way up the stairs.

Mobility is only one of the many concerns for older individuals when it comes to creating a fulfilling living experience. There are several things to consider such as their diet, their medication, their physical environment, and most importantly, whether or not there is someone constantly available to be of assistance to them. When you are living at home with your parents it's unlikely that you will be able to give them your undivided attention. Especially if your parents have difficulty in communicating, you are going to want to have someone who can constantly be with them.

To manage all these challenges, a dedicated senior residence can be the best solution. However, not all aged care facilities are the same. Here are a few things you should look out for.

1.  ACAT

Before you go out and buy an aged care residence service, it’s good to understand the exact needs of your older parents to figure out what will work best for them. This will help you narrow down your options and look for things that are actually going to benefit them. You can do this by getting an Aged Care Assessment Test (ACAT) where a team can visit you at home to help you better understand your parents' needs. This way you will get expert advice about the things that are most important for your parents and you can look for a service provider who has these exact services.

2.  Medical Competence

Medical problems are a natural part of aging and older parents will have some kind of problem or another. Proper management of different diseases is vital to ensuring that the problem doesn't get worse and that the patient can live a comfortable life. The care professionals at Arcare suggest that you choose a service provider who has a team of people that are trained to take care of that specific disease. For instance, if your parents are diabetic, do they have meal plans that are designed to meet the dietary needs of a diabetic patient? Is their facility designed to accommodate people suffering from joint problems and arthritis?

3.  Staffing Arrangements

It is not uncommon to find aged care residences that don’t have properly trained staff. In fact, many homes don’t even have enough caretakers in comparison to the number of aged people that are living there. You want to ensure that the team that will be looking after your parents not only has the right education in aged care but also has the relevant experience. There are a number of aged care services that employ people who have very little knowledge about this profession and many don’t have any kind of relevant training. The needs of older adults are very different from other individuals and you want to make sure that they have what it takes to deliver that kind of service. Simply having the right people to attend to your parents can make the entire experience that much better.

4.  Reviews

It's always a good idea to look around for reviews, listen to word-of-mouth recommendations, and consider what other people are saying about a certain service provider. Input from people who have already used that service can be especially valuable. This is not to say that new aged care service providers that have few reviews are not reliable, but it can take a lot of guesswork out of the decision if you go with a tried and trusted option.

Finding the right aged-care service provider for your parents can be a complicated and cumbersome process when you are doing it for the first time. If you can put in the time and effort that it requires, it is something that will definitely reward you down the line. So, make the effort today to find your parents the care and attention that they need and deserve.