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How to find in-home health care providers

The stages that families need to go through in getting effective in home care for elderly relatives are important, since by missing out on opportunities, that in home care can become costlier than it needs to be. By taking the appropriate steps to ensure you have covered all areas, this sequence is written as a guide by a writer who has experienced having to employ in home care for an elderly relative.

ASSESSMENT

Assessment of needs is the first stop. When a relative becomes ill and can no longer care for themselves, an assessment of how that illness affects day to day function is essential. There are measures that government agencies can take to help, and by having a full assessment of physical needs, the following criteria can be established:

*Need for special equipment
*Need for personal dressing and washing
*Bathing needs
*Length of time that the patient needs supervision
*Nursing aid
*What the patient is capable of doing.
*Physiotherapy needs.
*Feeding needs

Need for special equipment.

This is the first and most important need, since by installing equipment to suit the particular patient's needs, you are cutting down on what needs to be performed by carers. Many patients are mobile, can get around with the use of specialized equipment and where possible should be encouraged to do so, since the element of exercise helps them enormously. Handles, supports, walking frames, commodes, special mattresses all need to be looked into, as well as assessing the height of chairs. Wheelchairs can also be hired on a temporary basis from local authority agencies.

Need for personal dressing and washing.

If a patient can perform even the most basic of functions, they should be encouraged to do so. However, how efficiently they will perform these functions will be brought to light in the assessment. Many need to be dressed and washed, undressed and put to bed, and certain agencies do provide this kind of care. It is minimal cost care for those patients that can manage or have family care during the day but do not wish to expose the patient to the embarrassment of having close family undress them and see to very personal needs.

Bathing needs.

Centers with special equipment will offer ill patients the use of their facilities on a once or twice a week basis. Find out if this applies in the geographical area of the patient's home since these facilities offer hoists and professional staff, will come and get the patient, and make the afternoon out a social

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