Getting help for aging parents
As a parent or loved one’s needs progress, you may need to hire additional support to help manage their care. This may include hiring a personal support worker (PSW) or moving them into an assisted living or long-term care home.
A good place to start is to consider what their needs are:
What daily tasks does your loved one need support with?
What days and times is help most needed?
What can you afford?
Are their needs likely to change quickly as illness advances? It can be helpful to understand progression of disease so you don’t just plan for today but ideally get ahead of tomorrow.
Then, research what type of helper would be the best fit for your family: government-provided caregivers, agency caregivers, or independent caregivers. There are pros and cons of each including cost and availability.
In Canada, the provinces can provide covered basic PSW support in a loved one’s home. For example, in Ontario, Home and Community Care Support Services organizations provide province-wide access to free home and community care services such as PSWs and physiotherapy for Ontario residents and co-ordinate admission to long-term care homes (more on long-term care HERE).
In the US, at home long-term care information can be accessed by the National Institute on Aging. And you can search for Medicare-certified home health agencies near you.
We highly recommend getting registered with local community or long-term care services well in advance of really needing them as there can be a wait.
Hiring a personal support worker (PSW) for a loved one is much like hiring a nanny for those who have had one help with children. You can use local or national agencies or post on social media groups such as ‘Moms and Nannies.’ Referrals are key so ask your network.
For a PSW, you can expect to pay $20-50 an hour depending on the level of support required and timing (there may be surcharges for evenings and weekends). Agencies will charge more but can help vet candidates and offer fill-ins if someone is sick or unavailable.
Once you have a list of potential caregivers, schedule interviews to get to know them better. Ask about their experience, qualifications, and references. Make sure they are willing to work with the required schedule and meet their specific needs.
Some questions to ask a potential support worker:
What attributes and skills do you have that make you a good caregiver?
What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your job as a caregiver?
How do you manage challenging clients?
How familiar are you with [insert medical] condition?
How do you handle emergencies involving patients?
As a caregiver, how do you communicate with a patient’s family and medical professionals?
New businesses are also popping to help book extra care and support such as Mellie in the U.S. and Boom Health in Canada. And in Canada, the non-profit SE Health can also offer some paid services.