For many healthy adults, the need for long-term care seems miles down the road. However, many adult children of elderly parents understand just how vital having a long-term care plan can be. The following tips can help your family take charge and have a plan in place when the need for care arises.

Assess independence levels

Normal aging, disease, and hospitalization can contribute to a decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, bathing, walking, housework etc. The information obtained from a professional assessment can assist in creating a plan of care that might include in-home services such as meal preparation, nursing care, homemaker services, personal care, or continuous supervision.

Consider the care options

Options when care is needed are to stay at home with assistance or to move into either a care facility, nursing home, or the home of a relative. In-home care can be made available from a few hours a day to 24 hours. Before thinking of moving elsewhere, check into the availability and costs of home care agencies, like Partners in Healthcare, in your area

Plan first steps

A first step in assisting with care needs might be simply home monitoring through remote means combined with a few hours of care three times per week. Assistance with shopping, cooking and cleaning may be all that is necessary initially to promote a safe and independent lifestyle. The in-home care assessment will help determine possible first steps in creating a long-term care plan.

Waiting to develop a long-term care plan means leaving some important aspects of your loved one’s health up to chance. The professional caregivers at Partners in Healthcare can help your family develop a plan of care that best meets his or her long-term needs. Contact us today in Orlando, FL to learn more. Follow us on Facebook at HomeCareOrlando for answers to all your home care questions.