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Providing Home Care for an Older Adult: A Good Fit?

By Kate Rauch, Caring.com senior editor

What to consider when an older adult needs daily care at home

When someone you're caring for begins to need daily care, one option is to set up systems to provide care in her own home. Whether this will work depends on many factors, including her health and your ability to give or hire care. The first step is to realistically review what's involved.

Will it work on a practical level for her to live at home?

• Start with a medical consultation. When an older adult needs daily assistance, start by consulting with her doctor about housing options. Be sure to ask how her needs could change over time, which may influence your decision.
• Home safety and accessibility. Her house may need adaptations, such as grab bars in the bathroom, handrails, and wheelchair ramps. Are these changes doable? Will stairs, stoops, and narrow hallways make getting around difficult or impossible if she uses a wheelchair or walker?
• Room for overnight caregivers. If she needs 24-hour in-home care, is there sleeping space for an overnight caregiver or room for another bed or large couch?
• Space for equipment or supplies. Does she have enough room for a hospital bed (bulkier than a regular bed), commode, oxygen tank, or other portable medical equipment if needed?
• Bathing. Because they're weak or have trouble balancing, some older adults can only bathe in a bathtub. Others need a freestanding shower stall with handholds. Can these adaptations be made?
• Proximity to you. Does she live close enough so you can assist with her care without long commutes? If she lives far away, can you manage -- and afford -- the traveling back and forth, or can you afford to hire a caregiver and possibly even a care manager?

Can you or she afford it?