Figuring out what to do in certain circumstances can be difficult. Even during the best of times, struggles can cloud our perspective. These struggles can make it difficult to make good choices. If your elderly father needs support or assistance at home, some level of care, the best place to turn is a home care agency. 

However, you may not fully understand the different types of home care that are available. This could make it a little bit difficult to figure out if he needs a home care aide or something more medically oriented, such as a visiting nurse. Also sometimes referred to as a home health care provider, this type of medical professional is going to be able to administer medications, check vital statistics and perhaps relay that information to your father’s doctor for proper monitoring, change wound dressings, and so much more. 

How to determine the needs of the senior. 

If you have been supporting your father as a caregiver for a while, you probably have a pretty good idea of what he needs right now. If he needs help getting out of bed, preparing a meal, keeping his house clean, or maybe even getting to those doctors’ appointments every once in a while when you are not available, this would perfectly describe what a home care aide offers. 

A home care aide is an individual who can support elderly or disabled clients in the comfort of their homes with any number of tasks associated with daily life. This could include helping your father take a shower, go to the bathroom, get dressed, or even prepare a meal. 

If your dad has trouble doing the laundry now, struggles to take out the garbage or bring it back in, can’t seem to get to the mailbox to check for deliveries each day without struggling, then a home care aide would be perfect. 

What if your father needs this and direct medical attention? 

Some home health care providers, or visiting nurses, will assist with some of those basic tasks of everyday life, but if your father needs more significant, regular assistance with daily tasks and medical support, then he very well might need both a home care aide and a visiting nurse. 

Is that possible? 

Yes, absolutely. If you hire a home care agency to provide support for your aging father, that agency may not have visiting nurses on staff, but the home care aide can be hired for the times when he needs assistance with those basic tasks of everyday life. 

Then, you can also reach out to an agency that provides in-home nursing support, such as a visiting nurse or home health care provider, to support him with those direct medical needs. 

Always start with the home care aide. Since your father needs help with these tasks commonly associated with everyday living, that is where you start. Then, you can fill in the gaps as needed with other supportive professionals. 

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Highland Park IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.

When an older adult is diagnosed with dementia, family caregivers may jump to make changes before it’s time. This is often the case with driving. It can be your first instinct to take their keys away because you fear they’ll make a dangerous mistake or become lost. However, many people with dementia are able to continue driving safely through the early stages of the disease.  

How to Decide 

The first step to knowing when it’s time for a person with dementia to stop driving is to have their driving skills evaluated. This step should take place as soon as possible after the diagnosis is received. This will give you a baseline to work from and could help with the conversation when it’s time to take the keys away.  

Some State Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs) offer evaluations or may be able to direct you to an agency that does. In fact, some states require that a person with dementia visit the DMV for a test. Contact the DMV where the senior lives to learn more about laws in their area. 

If the initial evaluation shows the person can still drive, they’ll need ongoing evaluation and monitoring. Some things that may indicate it’s time to stop driving are: 

• Getting lost easily. 
• Not obeying traffic signs. 
• Being slow to react or making poor decisions. 
• Driving too fast or too slowly. 
• Getting angry or confused during driving. 

Talking to the Dementia Patient About Driving 

When it is time for your aging relative to stop driving, the conversation may not be easy. Be patient with the older adult. Imagine yourself in their position and think about how hard it would be to give up your own driving privileges. The Alzheimer’s Association offers the following tips for starting the conversation: 

• Talk about your own feelings and fears. 
• Stay positive and talk about what’s good about no longer driving, like not needing to pay for car maintenance or deal with bad roads. 
• Discuss responsibility and how their driving might affect others. 
• Enlist the help of the person’s doctor. 
• Suggest they be professionally evaluated again and use the results to discuss the decision. 

Giving up driving doesn’t have to mean that the dementia patient loses their independence. One way to allow them to continue to get out of the house and do the things they enjoy is by hiring a home care provider through an agency. Home care providers can be scheduled to come as often as needed through the week. They can drive the senior to the places they need or want to go, such as the grocery store, restaurants, religious services, or to the houses of friends and family. Home care providers can also drive the older adult to medical appointments and take notes for them so that the information can be passed on to family caregivers. 

Sources:  https://www.caregiver.org/dementia-driving 
https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/safety/dementia-driving 
https://caregiver.com/articles/time-to-stop-driving/ 

​If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Highland Park IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.