By Lisa Rademakers
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Good home care is defined as “not making you dependent, but rather keeping you independent.”
At Erickson communities like Sedgebrook that’s exactly the focus: keeping people at home whenever possible, instead of having to move to assisted living or a nursing home.
What assistance do you need?
There are various categories of home care. Wheelchair escorts make sure you get around. Companion/homemakers perform home tasks, like shopping and running errands. Home care aides provide help with personalized daily living tasks, like dressing and taking medications.
“First, identify what you want help doing. Most home care can provide up to 24 hours of care,” says Elliott Kroger, M.D., Erickson HealthSM physician at Sedgebrook in Lincolnshire. Do you want assistance managing medications or cooking several meals a day?
How much time do you want to pay for? Erickson Health Home Care enables people who live at Sedgebrook to arrange for as little as 15 minutes of care if all they need is a few minutes in the morning and evening to manage medications. Fifteen minutes is not always available in contracts outside of Erickson Health.
Do you want a combination of home care services— personal care and light housework? “Try to get it all with the same person, to ensure continuity of care,” says Dottie Arnold, assistant director of Home Support at Erickson Retirement Communities.
Finding quality help
Talk to other people about their experiences with home care. If you aren’t a Sedgebrook resident and don’t have Erickson Health’s home care personnel available, find out which outside organizations have a good, solid reputation. Your local and state offices on aging or social services have a complete list of home care services. Call 1-800-677-1116 to find your local Area Agency on Aging.
“You have to be very careful if you hire someone on your own and not through an organization,” Arnold says. If you do it yourself, some things to look for: