There may come a time when you will face the fact that your elderly loved ones require a bit of assistance, especially when cognitive and/or physical abilities begin to fail. It's not an easy decision to make, but once you decide that your loved one requires senior home care, it's time to find someone to help out.

If you and other family members live within a short distance, it's possible that you could work out a simple schedule for stopping in and visiting with your loved one on a daily basis. If that is not possible, you’ll need to consider one of the following options:

• Do you know of a trusted and reliable neighbor, friend, or even distant relative who could stop in and check on your loved one during the day?

• Is there a reputable non-profit organization or for-profit business in the area that could assist your loved one? This could prove to be a real challenge if you’re not living in close proximity to your aging parent(s).

• Or, perhaps you need to consider having your loved one move into your home with you so you can watch over them and help them daily with whatever it is they need?

Types of Senior Home Care Services

Before making any decisions about home care for your parent(s), it's a good idea to know what services are available. This way, you can make a more educated and confident decision.

1. Non-medical In-Home Care - someone would visit the home each day and provide basic services that might include housekeeping, cleaning, cooking, bathing, getting dressed, or helping with other chores as needed.

2. In-Home Medical Care - this is a similar service as mentioned above, but means that a person who holds a medical certification of some kind would be visiting the home on a daily basis. This type of home care would include tasks such as helping with blood pressure, administering medications, and other monitoring services.

3. Concierge Services - someone would shop for and drop off items for your parent(s).

4. Companion Services - someone would be hired to move in with your parent and provide full-time services (many of which are listed above).

5. Nursing Care - this type of senior home care can be secured on a full-time or a part-time basis.

How To Locate and Decide on Senior Home Care Providers

It's no easy task to choose just the right type of home care for your parent, but here are some helpful resources that should make the process a bit smoother and perhaps easier for you.

This locator guide from Assist Guide Information Services may be helpful for finding a reputable home care service near your parents' home. The Family Care Navigator is a helpful site for locating home health care. And of course, Medicare’s providers site could be helpful as well.

Make sure to refer to the checklist provided by AARP as you consider each possible home care service. Read over this checklist of Do's and Don'ts when working through the process. You'll want to get references from others who have used the service you’re considering to make sure they were trustworthy, compassionate, and competent.

How to Pay for Home Care Services

These services are not inexpensive, but there is a lot of financial help available to you. This way, your parent(s) can stay in their home where they are most familiar and comfortable. Check out the Benefits Guide for Seniors and Eldercare Locator.

We would appreciate hearing about any additional resources that you've found to be helpful during your search for a home care service provider.

Oh, you may find this down loadable calendar from Lotsa Helping Hands to be a great organizational tool.