Do you need in home care for your senior loved ones? It’s hard being a caregiver, and there comes a time when you need some relief and require outside assistance. This could be because you’re worn out or because of an increase in the needs of your aging relatives. When you have a conversation about senior home care with your loved ones, they may be worried about in home care costs.
Understandably, seniors on a fixed income may worry about affording home care. The good news is that it’s a common misconception that home care is always very expensive. Here are some tips for managing in home care costs for every budget.
Involve Family Members
Being a family caregiver can be stressful. After spending so much time caring for your loved ones, you deserve some time for yourself, too. If you need someone with which to share caregiving tasks, ask your family members to get involved. There’s no reason anyone should have to go it alone.
If you have siblings, ask them to shoulder some of the caregiving responsibilities. Getting more free help means you won’t need to pay for as much professional care. Siblings who aren’t willing or able to be caregivers may be able to contribute money for a professional caregiver.
Hire a Part-Time Caregiver
If your parents are generally coping well, but just need a bit of help, consider hiring an in home caregiver for a fixed number of hours. There’s no reason to pay a full-time caregiver when your parents don’t need full-time care. You can hire a part-time caregiver to help your parents with occasional tasks.
For example, some seniors have trouble with tasks like cleaning the house, but can complete personal care tasks on their own. A caregiver could come over a couple times a week to tidy up and help with some household chores. Seniors who are feeling lonely, but are generally healthy, could also benefit from a part-time caregiver. The caregiver could come over and visit a couple of times a week for some valuable companion care and socialization.
Break In Home Care into Shifts
If your parents need help with personal care tasks every morning and night, you may worry about the price of 12 or 16 hours of caregiving each day. One strategy to save money is to break in home care into shifts. For example, you could have caregivers come for three hours in the morning, and another three hours in the evening.
This cost-saving measure can work if your parents need help with their morning and evening routines, but can be left alone during the day. It could also work if you or another family caregiver was available in the time between shifts. If you’re interested in split shifts, look for a flexible home care agency that will accommodate your loved ones’ needs.
Talk about Reverse Mortgages
Your parents may have paid off the mortgage on their home a long time ago. In the years since, the value of their home may have increased. If you need to raise money to pay for in home care, selling the home may seem like a good choice. While selling the home is certainly an option, most seniors want to age in place. That’s where reverse mortgages come in.
With reverse mortgages, seniors can convert the equity of their homes into cash. Your parents may be able to get monthly payments or a lump-sum payment based on their home’s value. They can use this money to contribute to in home care costs. Seniors don’t need to make monthly payments on reverse mortgages since the loan is reconciled with the value of the home.
Government Support Services
Individuals can often use home care services in conjunction with government support services in order to offer comprehensive care to their loved ones. Any reputable home care agency will be willing to work with those government services to fill in any of the gaps. What’s more, you a reputable home care agency should also be willing to assist you in exploring the options available to you and your loved ones according to their specific needs, budget, and more. At Senior Helpers, we’re here to work with you to offer comprehensive care on a case-by-case basis.
