August 30, 2017
Margaret’s mother Gloria was 74 years old and lived alone in her own home. She was suffering from both knee pain and arthritis on hands, becoming more fragile in general, and became more dependent on others to care for her daily needs. Being the only child, Margaret was spending more and more time and energy going over to her mother’s house to care for her. Margaret herself as working mum and raising two little kids, felt that this was becoming too stressful and burdensome despite how much she cared and wanted to help mum.
One day, she realised that she needed more help and without knowing what other options were available, conceded that her mother might need to go to a nursing home. The next day, she called a local nursing home to make an appointment for potential accommodation for mum.
A placement manager who was in charge of the entry admission process and waiting list at that nursing home had an interview with them. It is the first time that Gloria and Margaret were looking for aged care services thus they seemed very anxious and nervous when arrived. They attended a tour program provided by that particular nursing home. It was a good opportunity for them to observe the services offered including personal care, activities, and environment before they made a decision. Gloria mentioned that she particularly liked hairdresser visits twice a month and the open gardens that her great-grandchildren could play in when they visited. However the nursing home was costly.
Thankfully, they also learned about other services which might be able to help them evaluate what is appropriate for them such as ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team). ACAT can perform an assessment of individual needs and recommend eligible services – home care, community services or assisted living, etc. After explanation, they were happy to leave mum’s name on the waiting list of the nursing home and went back to seek ACAT review.
When they returned home, Margaret arranged for the home care provider to come visit them. The home care provider assessed her income and needs and recommended a home care package with senior caregiver visiting three times a week. Later they called back to inform the manager at nursing home to take Gloria’s name off from the waiting list as they preferred the home care option.
A senior caregiver assisted for her needs of personal hygiene, cooking and access to social activities. In addition to the ongoing senior caregiver services, they also had some one time home modification services done. They installed grab bars in her bathroom and hand rails at the steps near main entry which helped her unsteady gait, preventing the risk of falling at home and most importantly maintain her independence.
Margaret and Gloria were very happy to receive the right service support for their specific needs. If you, like Margaret, are looking for support in making decisions related to caring for parents and are asking questions such as:
How can I continue to care for my parents at home?
When is the right time for my parents to go to a nursing home?
What other support is available to help my parents?
Please contact us. We can help you make make decisions to best care for your parents and family.