One minute you’ve got kids, the next they’re older, all grown up and flown the nest. One minute you’re young and the next, your knees feel ancient and your joints say aren’t as flexible as they used to be. If you’re trying to decide if home care is the right solution for you, here are a few factors you should look into:
1. Where you live. If you live in a remote area, with public transportation an hour away, or the nearest hospital even much farther than that, you might want to consider moving someplace else closer.
2. Home maintenance. Is your home easy to maintain? Do you have steps you could easily replace with a walkway for wheelchairs. Is your home easily modified to provide for reinforcements like handle bars? If you’ve answered yes to all these, then home care seems to be a good option for you at the moment. Hire someone to build the necessary modifications right away.
3. Finances. According to the Huffington Post, the hourly rate for a caregiver in the San Francisco Bay Area is somewhere between $22 to $28 dollars. Live-in assistance can go anywhere from $360 to $400 a day. If you require constant care, that’s going to cost about $560 to $600 a day. So you must have enough in your retirement funds to cover the costs as much as possible.
4. Support. Having family and friends nearby is crucial. You’ll likely need help or support, especially when you start having trouble moving around. You could also look into getting home care assistance. Hiring private duty home care services to make sure you’ve always got help handy.
5. Mobility problems. You might be all right now, but if you’ve got a medical condition that could result in mobility issues in the future, then you might want to consider future arrangements while you still can. Know how you’ll deal with any other complications you have as well, suggests helpguide.
6. Alzheimer’s or dementia services. There are plenty of care giving services that provide this so if you think you’re going to require special help down the road, then it’s best to seek out professional caregivers who are trained to provide you with the help and assistance you need, one that should ease the burden on your loved ones as well.
So if you’re considering home care or going for assisted living facilities, then this list should help you determine which one will suit your needs better.
