Long-term care planning isn’t something you should rush. Yet, many families find themselves in a situation where they have to rush things. A parent falls ill and decisions must be made immediately. A parent who relied on a spouse or partner now is home alone and struggling to manage. Where do you begin?

Consider the Options

You need to sit down with your parents and close family members and discuss the options. Would your mom or dad want to move in with you? Would you want to move in with them? Do they want to age at home? Do they want to downsize to a smaller one-level home?

If your parents need help, would they want to rely on you? Would they rather have caregivers sent from a senior care agency? Even if they don’t need a lot of help now, they need to consider the future and their care needs.

Talk to Area Agencies

You do need to look into the options in your parents’ area. What senior care agencies are available? What services are offered?

Your parents should talk to friends and neighbors who have home care aides. They need to ask questions and get feedback on what works and doesn’t work. This information helps them weigh their options and come up with a solid care plan.

Build a Care Plan

Once your parents have looked at their options, they need to decide what care is needed. Do they want daily care for grooming, personal care, hygiene, and medication reminders? Do they only need someone to come by once a week to do the laundry, change sheets and towels, and do the housework?

You can create a care plan from here. If family members have time to help out, you can have them look through the list of needed services and pick items they feel comfortable doing.

Figure Out the Budget

Senior care services do cost money. Health insurance doesn’t cover it. It’s unlikely that your parents ever signed up for long-term care insurance. If they did, that helps with the cost, but there are still rules they must follow.

Look at your parents’ income and how much they can afford to pay for senior care. This will help you best decide how much family members will need to help out to lower costs.

Once this is decided, call a senior care agency and make arrangements for the home care services your parents need. You’ll discuss the best schedule and services at that point.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Senior Care in Charleston, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.

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Edward Harrison

Founder at Heart of the Carolinas

Edward Harrison founded the Heart of the Carolinas Homecare in 2007 when he saw there was a need for caregivers that provide non-medical home care services, at a price that most people could afford. It was standard in the industry to require hourly minimums and it was common to be assigned a caregiver, not matched with one based on your individual personal needs. Edward understood that to make a successful relationship between caregiver and client, skills were not enough, personality and compatibility plays as much a role as do skills.

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