PROFESSIONAL IN-HOME CARE
Professional in-home care: Where to start and what to ask
An educational resource for family care partners
When living with progressive supranuclear palsy( PSP), corticobasal degeneration( CBD) or multiple system atrophy( MSA), one of the trickiest and often more overwhelming challenges is knowing how proactive to be around implementing new or different strategies for managing care. Many individuals and families consider hiring professional care to attend to someone’ s evolving and increasing symptoms and care needs over time. Professional in-home care can help someone maintain independence, safety and engagement as well as provide care partners with the extra support and assistance they need throughout their journey.
Knowing where to start the process of hiring professional care, figuring out what home care could look like for you and how to go about researching care options can feel daunting or confusing. In this document, we have compiled common questions and advice people share about in-home care. We also provide information to help clarify the process, breaking it down into steps. It is our hope that this resource that will allow you to better understand in-home care services so that you can find the right care support for you and your family.
CurePSP is dedicated to the support, awareness, care and cure of PSP, CBD and MSA. Please contact us at info @ curepsp. org or 1-800-457-4777 if you have any questions or if we can be of further support or assistance. You can also visit www. curepsp. org for more information and resources.
Step 1: Understand in-home care. What is in-home care?
In-home care provides professional( paid, as opposed to family) caregivers for additional support and assistance. This can be in your home or even for additional one-on-one services for those who are living in long-term care facilities. In-home care can offer companionship and mental stimulation for the care recipient, monitoring with safety, assistance with ambulation, hands-on personal care and help with household tasks. It can be just one or all of these care tasks. Family care partners frequently utilize inhome care to be able to step away for some time, or“ respite,” with the peace of mind that their loved one is being cared for. Even hiring minimal in-home care, such as two or three times per week for a few hours, can make a world of difference. There is always the option to increase hours of care over time as needed, if it is financially feasible. For many, in-home care can prevent burnout for families and becomes an important aspect of the support system, and ultimately enhances safety, quality of life and the ability to stay in the home for longer.