Preparing Your Home for In-Home Care Services

Having a stranger come into your home to take care of you, or a senior loved one, can be a daunting prospect. What do you need to do in terms of in-home care preparation so they can provide you with the best possible care? How can you ensure they’re able to work effectively and efficiently whilst in your home?

The first thing to remember is that your home will be their workplace. Therefore, most of the things that apply to making any workplace efficient are important. That includes safety, comfort, trust, respect, support, and having the right equipment to do their job. Additionally, if you’re considering live-in home care there are the added factors of privacy and personal conveniences for both the carer and yourself, or whoever is being cared for.

Depending on the level of care you choose or require, your team of in-home carers will likely be spending a lot of time in your home. With that in mind, it’s important to decide what type of carers you think will work best for you – gender, personality, interests, language, and so on. Discuss these with your aged in-home care services provider so they can team you up with the most suitable Care Partner and Carers.

Some other in-home care preparation you need to think about includes:

• Your privacy – how do you maintain this
• Rules or restrictions – how can you communicate these to the Care Partner and Carer
• Are there any areas within your home you want to keep private?
• How do you invite your caregiver to ask questions?
• Do you need to talk about any religious or cultural issues?

Privacy is an important consideration, particularly when you’re inviting a stranger into your home. Decide what aspects of your life you want to remain private, or that can remain private at this point in your life. Discuss these with your aged home care service provider because you will be able to work out how your support and services can be tailored to suit your specific requirements.

In the meantime, consider installing locks on doors and drawers you don’t want a carer inadvertently opening. If you need live-in care, think about installing some privacy screens to help create ‘private’ spaces. Put your personal documents and valuable items in a locked draw and don not keep cash in your premises.

Often, it’s not ‘what’ but ‘how’ you communicate something that makes all the difference. You do need to establish clear lines of communication about your ‘house rules’ and expectations from the start. However, being respectful, friendly, and flexible in how you communicate them will generally result in better acceptance and a more harmonious relationship with your Care Partner and Carer.

Tips that may help with this include:

• Using a friendly tone when discussing your house rules.
• Using first person i.e. ‘I would like…’ or ‘I do this… at this time every day’ rather than ‘You will do this… at this time every day’.
• Having an open friendly discussion about your needs, concerns, preferences, and expectations about your care.
• Encouraging input, accepting feedback, and being flexible because your carers are there to care for you and any rules or restrictions that may impact their ability to do that need to be discussed and perhaps modified. To do this make sure you contact your Care Partner first, and they will be able to review your Care Plan and team of care workers.

Establishing upfront what you want your carer to do for you will help determine what areas he or she will need access to in your home in order to provide you with the right level of care. You may also decide some areas are specifically out of bounds and should remain totally private.

If you don’t need help showering or getting out of bed and getting dressed, you may not want them going into your bathroom and bedroom for example. It’s important to mention all these things as part of your initial discussion about your healthcare needs and requirements.

Home aids to include on your in-home care preparation list may include:

• Grab rails in the toilet and bathroom.
• Mobility aids – walking frame, crutches, wheel chair.
• A home care bed.
• Oxygen equipment.

You may also need to have entrances and steps modified to suit wheelchair access or your reduced mobility requirements. Your Care Partner will assess your needs and provide recommendations when creating your care plan with you.

If you have a friendly relationship with your Care Partner and caregiver and are open and approachable, the more they will be able to assist you. The more that someone knows about you, the easier it is to establish a good working relationship. Experienced Care Partners will also know the right questions to ask. Alternatively, ask them if they have any questions for you. Lead the discussion. Don’t make them feel like they’re imposing on you by asking questions. Encourage their curiosity. Provide genuine answers when they do ask questions.

If you or your carer follows a particular religion that has certain expectations of its followers, you may need to have discussions around:

• Dietary requirements – if you have specific religious dietary requirements and your carer is cooking for you, you’ll need to discuss these with them. Conversely, they may have their own dietary customs that restrict what they can cook for you.
• Religious rituals and beliefs – prayer time, meditation, fasting, end-of-life care.
• Medical procedures – some religions don’t allow certain medical procedures.
• Language and cultural differences that may impact your care.

No two home-care situations are identical so it’s important to identify what you specifically require in-home care services. When you know that, you can then work out, and do, the necessary in-home care preparation. However, the above information should give you some guidance to get started.