There are many reasons a family may decide to transition their senior relative from senior care facilities (or retirement homes) to in-home care, from cost to distance to quality of residence or care.

For some seniors, retirement homes offer a feeling of consistent support and community, while others can feel isolated or simply miss being in their own homes.  

Here, we’ll explore the benefits of in-home care and how to make the transition best. 

What Does In-Home Care Look Like

Like an a la carte menu, in-home care services offer a range of support options that can be tailored to your senior family member’s individual needs. At Just Like Family, these include:

• Companionship and Outings: Activities, appointments, events, grocery shopping, visitors and walks.
• Household Support: Cleaning, gardening, laundry, linens, meal planning and prep. 
• Ongoing Respite Care: Planned regular occurrences, allowing you to attend to other needs, appointments, leisure etc knowing your family member is in good hands.
• Overnight Care: Allowing other caregivers and family members to rest and attend to other family matters. 
• Personal Care: Bathing, continence, dressing, grooming, lifting, medications, mobility and vitals monitoring.
• Post-Hospitalization: Illness recovery or post-surgery care (ex. Wound care, medication management)
• Short-Term/Temporary Care: Whether it’s during your time away or time to yourself. 
• Specialized Care: Qualified care for complex needs or conditions including ALS, Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons and palliative support. We also offer disability support services. 

The Benefits of In-Home Care

By being cared for at home, whether in the short term, at intervals, regularly, or long term, senior family members can maintain their sense of dignity and independence while still getting the support they require as their needs and abilities change. 

Being in-home will also allow them to be familiar with their surroundings, feel normal in their routines, and feel closer to the lifestyle they have built and nurtured over time. This alone can reduce stress, anxiety and refusal to accept “help,” as does the reduction of social isolation and loneliness that comes with having an at-home caregiver. 

Families of seniors will also feel less stressed at the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of in-home care, which is more affordable than the rising room and board costs of long-term facilities and adjustable based on changing needs and timelines. 

The In-Home Care Transition – Step by Step

First, you’ll want to have the needs and level of care required by your senior family member assessed. At Just Like Family, we take not only physical needs into account but also emotional and cognitive needs. Factors can range from “how is their mobility?” to “how many medications are needed to be managed, and what kind?” to “how do they interact socially?”

Next, you’ll work with our team to create a personalized, adjustable care plan that outlines the desired needs from the list provided in our “What Does In-Home Care Look Like” section. This includes laying out specific instructions for particular activities and tasks, visit frequency and more. 

We’ll monitor and come back to this care plan with you, assessing its effectiveness and making any adjustments as needed, which could be increases or decreases in care tasks, visits or service types. 

For the smoothest transition possible, ensure that your senior family member feels included in decision-making by making their preferences feel heard. 

It’s also incredibly important to visibly show even the most hesitant or frustrated seniors patience and understanding. Don’t “bulldoze” or minimize their rejections or concerns, even if caregiving plans will carry forward regardless of their objections. 

For More Information on In-Home Care

Contact your local Just Like Family Home Care office. You can also call us at 778-244-7742 (Lower Mainland) or 250-888-8211 (Island Locations).