Tell me if this story sounds familiar:
Your mom is in excellent health at age 80, 90, or rounding 100. She is fiercely independent and does just about everything on her own, from cleaning and laundry, to paying bills, cooking, and even driving. You, on the other hand, WORRY about her living alone and want to have the talk about taking the keys away. You worry she’s lonely (although she’d never admit it), not eating properly, forgetting to take her medication, or stuck at home because she’s stopped driving. You call to check on her and drop by her home in Arlington Heights frequently to make sure she’s ok. The drive is getting to be too much for you, and your other siblings live out of state. Mom wants to stay in her Arlington Heights home and doesn’t like the idea of having a stranger in the house.
Well, she hasn’t met one of our caregivers yet !
How a companion caregiver can improve the quality of life for the entire family?
An Assisting Hands caregiver can bring peace of mind to you, the family, by providing companion care services to your parent.
A typical schedule for companion care is around 20-40 hours/week. The caregiver may come every day from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. or 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., or can stay the full day. She can check to make sure your loved one took their medication, prepare a meal or prep one for later, and take your mom out for an errand. Our companion caregivers take their clients to the grocery store or to get haircut, to their doctor’s appointment or out for visit the grandkids. They go the bank, post office, church, and out to buy holiday cards for the entire family. They may drop your mom off with a group of friends to play bridge or Maj Jong and drive them home when the game is finished. All these activities improve the quality of life for the entire family. With a caregiver’s assistance, there is less worry about how mom or dad will get to their appointments and more focus on getting them out and about to enjoy their lives!
A companion caregiver really becomes like a new “friend” or “buddy.” They are trained not to treat the elderly client as a “patient,” but rather as a client who we work for directly, and who can make the schedule and plan days directly with him.
Why Choose Assisting Hands Companion Care?
At Assisting Hands Home care we utilize an online home care program that allows families to view caregiver notes throughout the week. Each family member can receive a login to the “Family Room Portal.” Here, the caregiver’s notes from the day are visible to everyone who has a login ID. Your care manager in the office can instruct caregivers to include specific notes about medication or errands, or even upload pictures to the portal on our HIPAA compliant site. Seeing mom out for her haircut or knowing that a trusted caregiver has laid eyes on her throughout the week will give you peace of mind while you’re far away. When you come to visit mom, it doesn’t have to be a rushed day or errands and doctor’s appointments, but you can relax and take her out to her favorite spot for lunch.
Let one of our caregivers become part of your family and help improve your loved one’s quality of life.
Interested in meeting a member of our companion care team? Give us a call at (847) 462-4422.
