Home Care Assessments 101: What Are They & How Are They Performed?
Maybe you have a home care assessment for your loved one coming up, or you’re thinking about booking one. You probably have important questions about what’s going to happen and why.
These assessments are vital for home care providers, helping them develop a personalized, detailed care plan for your aging loved one. Here’s what you need to know about the steps involved in home care assessments, why they are performed, and what results you can expect.
The “Why” Behind Home Care Assessments
If you’re seeking in-home senior care, you’ll have to go through a home care assessment first. The assessment is ultimately for the benefit of your loved one. A skilled professional needs to get a sense of your loved one’s current abilities and what their needs are in order to create the best care plan possible.
Home care assessors generally evaluate three major categories:
- Your loved one’s safety
- Your loved one’s care needs and preferences
- Your loved one’s current ability to care for themselves
By assessing these categories, an assessor can get a feel for the level of care your loved one requires.
For example, if your loved one has trouble with basic activities of daily living (ADLs) like toileting, dressing, and bathing themselves, they’ll need a higher level of care than a senior who does those things independently.
On the contrary, home care assessments preserve seniors’ autonomy by allowing us to offer only the care that is needed. This can help keep your loved one happy and independent for years to come.
Looking at the Home Environment: Addressing Potential Safety Risks
The first step most assessors take is to walk through your loved one’s home. The assessor will always get permission beforehand, empowering you and your loved one to collaborate on their care from the very beginning of the process.
During a walk-through, the assessor will look for things that pose trip and fall hazards, like loose floorboards and clutter. There’s never any judgment involved, as the assessor’s primary goal is simply to ensure your loved one’s safety. As a result, home assessors are trained to spot things that the average person might not recognize as a safety hazard.
Assessors may also look at your loved one’s shower, bed, and cooking area to make sure they can safely operate in these spaces. The assessor can then make recommendations for securing rooms with hazards.
Getting to Know Your Loved One: Assessing Their Care Needs and Preferences
Home assessors want to get to know your loved one on a personal level. They will talk to your loved one and their current caregivers so that they can note any important facts about their physical, mental, and cognitive health.
Assessors have your loved one’s best interests at the forefront of their plans. You can think of this as a friendly interview. Home assessors want to know what your loved one needs and likes so that they can participate enthusiastically in their own care. This step helps assessors and other team members formulate the best care plan possible.
An assessor also needs to know if your loved one has any underlying health problems that need to be addressed in their daily routine. Things like medication management and special accommodations are important to include in their long-term care plan, for example.
Caregiver Education and Planning: Developing a Care Plan
In-home healthcare providers strive to keep you in the loop when it comes to your loved one’s care. Your home assessor can offer helpful information about different types of in-home care and make recommendations based on their assessment.
Every piece of information gathered can factor into your loved one’s personalized care plan. That’s one of the major benefits of getting a home assessment — making your loved one’s care work for them, not the other way around.
Your loved one may also be more likely to accept the care that they need when their goals and preferences are prioritized in care planning.
Different Levels of Care
“In-home care” is an umbrella term. There are several levels of care that your loved one can benefit from, from simple companionship care to daily medical and physical assistance.
For this reason, it’s essential to be honest with your assessor about your loved one’s current ability to take care of themselves. Home assessors aren’t there to take your loved one’s autonomy away; they are there to support it.
Bring up any concerns you have with different in-home care types so that you can have clarity and peace of mind by the end of the assessment.
Preparing for Your Home Care Assessment
Before a home care assessment, make sure to talk with your loved one in advance to ensure they know the purpose and intention behind the assessment. Be honest with them and allow them to express how they feel about the process. Offer your support and remain as calm as possible, even if they’re combative or distressed.
Home care assessments are beneficial for both you and your loved one. Perhaps the best way to prepare for the assessment is to accept new possibilities with open arms — and encourage your loved one to do the same.
If you or your family member is considering in-home care as part of a plan to age in place, contact Family Matters In-Home Care today for a free consultation. Our team is dedicated to supporting your family and helping older adults enjoy life in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible.
Some of the services offered by Family Matter In-Home Care include: Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care, Bed & Wheelchair Transfer Assistance, Companionship, Housekeeping & Meal Preparation, Personal Care, Recovery Care, and Transportation.
Serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater San Diego, Family Matter In-Home Care has offices throughout California.
