By Maria Burke, RN, Owner, Celtic Angels Home Health Care
Talking about home health can be difficult, especially if you fear that all members of your family aren’t on board. But it’s a necessary conversation, particularly if you or your senior loved one are already having problems that require assistance. Here’s how to have the delicate conversation about home health.
Be Ready to Listen
The decision to seek home health care impacts your whole family, so it’s important to be willing to listen to everyone’s perspectives. Consider getting together as a family if everyone is close enough to do so. Have a nice meal so everyone can be relaxed and focus on the conversation at hand.
It’s not always easy to discuss major life changes, so be ready to listen to everyone’s perspectives. Often, any opposition to home health is due to fear of change and loss of independence, so you may be able to reassure everyone that this is a good change for you, or your senior loved one.
Talk About How Home Health Care Will Help
When discussing in-home health care, it helps to list the positives. Talking about how home health care will help you and your senior loved one retain as much independence as possible. Home health care is often less expensive than assisted living or nursing home care, too, so it’s less of a financial burden on the family’s finances.
Remember, comfort is a valid reason to turn to home health care, too. Most of us would prefer to age in place, either in our own homes or with family members. Home health care makes that possible. So don’t be afraid to express that you or your senior loved one would simply feel better about staying in your own home or having your senior loved one age in place with in-home health services to provide the necessary assistance.
Examine Your Needs
Often, family members become concerned when they realize their senior loved one is having difficulty. Or maybe you’re noticing that you’re experiencing difficulties yourself. Maybe medication is being missed. Or meals have become too troublesome to prepare. Have falls become an issue? Or is socialization practically impossible nowadays? All of these are needs that in-home health can meet and address.
So, if you or your loved one are having trouble with your or their daily needs, it’s time to talk about in-home health care. Explain the challenges you see and why you feel in-home health care is the best solution. Be sure to point out the ways in-home health care can meet those needs, like meal preparation, medication assistance, transportation, etc. When you focus on the needs, it’s easier for family members to see the benefits of in-home health care.
Suggest a Trial Period
If your family members still seem reluctant to embrace in-home health care, suggest a trial period. It’s often easier for people to agree to a trial than a permanent commitment. Propose trying in-home health care for a set period of time, perhaps a couple of months or a certain number of days per week. Then, come together as a family to discuss how the trial went and whether you want to continue.
Remember that seniors are sometimes reluctant to accept help, so be sure to allow an adjustment period before ending the trial. Once everyone has a chance to get used to the new routine, there’s a good chance they’ll agree that in-home health care has been beneficial and be willing to continue in the future.
Talking about in-home health care can be a delicate conversation, but the above tips will help the discussion go more smoothly.
Thinking about starting home health? We’d love to help! Learn more about our services at www.celticangelsinc.com
