Coordinating Home Care Between Family & Agency Caregivers

When hiring a caregiving service, many family caregivers remove themselves from the situation. They envision care as a two-part equation. Care recipient on one side - home care agency on the other.
In truth, family caregivers are a crucial part of this equation. Caregiving is easier when family members and professional caregivers support one another. It allows you to split caregiving responsibilities effectively. It will enable you to focus on the care duties you’re most comfortable handling. Also, it helps you avoid caregiver burnout, which is common among family caregivers.

Preventing caregiver burnout is equally crucial for your well-being. Caregiving improves or maintains quality of life for your loved one. However, that shouldn’t come at the cost of your self-care. Without support from professional caregivers, it is possible for your physical, mental, and emotional health to suffer.​

So when you are hiring home care services, it’s essential to keep your schedule, needs, and well-being in mind. Moreover, you’ll want to do the same for other family caregivers who provide care for your loved one.

Coordinating with Home Care Agencies

When you’re hiring a caregiving service, whether it is respite care, live-in care, dementia care, or other assistance, there are several areas where it helps to coordinate between family caregivers and home care professionals.

Below are six areas where this can make a big difference in the quality of life for the care recipient and family caregivers.​

• Care Scheduling. When scheduling care visits, you’ll want to consider your loved one’s routine. At the same time, you’ll want to preserve time for your activities. A reliable home health care agency can schedule care in a way that balances these needs. 
• Care Responsibilities. With a home care service, you can split care responsibilities effectively. Agency caregivers can take on more laborious tasks or those that require specialized knowledge or skills.
• Respite Care. Family caregivers need periods of respite to avoid caregiver burnout. A professional care agency will prepare a comprehensive respite plan that will help you attend to your well-being, and they’ll be there when you need a few hours (or a few days) to yourself.
• Cooperative Care. Certain care activities are much easier to perform as a team. As such, it can be helpful to hire a professional caregiver to assist with aspects of care (as opposed to providing care only when you’re not around).
• Companionship for Elders. Many families worry about their loved one’s safety and well-being when left alone. With a home care service, you can reduce your loved one’s alone time by ensuring a family member or care professional is there.
• Flexibility. What happens if your loved one’s condition changes and they need different types of care? Alternatively, what if you have a sudden change in your personal life and can no longer provide care as often? The home care agency will be able to adapt their services to your needs.

​Finding the Right Home Care Provider

Choosing the right home care provider will make coordinating care between family caregivers and care professionals seamless. So, it’s crucial to keep this in mind during consultations with home care agencies. A comfortable rapport and feeling of confidence in your case manager are essential.

When you meet with home care agencies, you’ll want to focus primarily on your loved one’s needs and routines. However, you should find time to discuss your own needs as well as those of other family caregivers. Can care be scheduled in a way that makes your life more workable? Are there care tasks that you’d preferably have performed by a professional? Will you need respite visits to allow for self-care?

At the same time, you’ll want to develop a good relationship with the agency and its home health aides. These are the people who you’ll be planning, coordinating, and working with throughout the duration of your loved one’s care. As such, it’s essential that you start with a foundation of comfort and trust.

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning home care agency with an excellent track record with over fifteen years of experience in the home care industry. Our case managers and care providers understand the tremendous role family caregivers have in the care equation. Because of this, we go the extra mile to work with our clients’ family members to provide caregivers with the support they need. Our case managers and office staff make it a priority to communicate with you and your family about changes in schedules, medication needs, appointments, and the day-to-day needs of our clients and their family caregivers.

About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton senior home care agency provides quality in-home care services to seniors and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our dementia home care, Alzheimer’s care, companion care, respite support, transitional aid, and elder home care services in Wellesley, Natick, Newton, Needham, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Canton, Westwood, Dedham, Watertown, Stoughton, Roslindale, Norwood, and nearby towns. The services provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton will be sure to make a positive impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life. Call us today at 617-795-2727 for more information.