Personal Assistants Can Make a Huge Impact in Seniors’ Lives

Finding a personal in-home care assistant for your elderly loved one is a highly sensitive priority. The person you choose will take on a tremendous responsibility. Caring for vulnerable individuals requires a big heart and a great deal of patience. 

Today, we are going to cover some qualities to consider when selecting the right personal care assistant for your elderly loved one. With a consumer-directed care plan, you can exercise greater decision-making in determining who will be the best fit for your needs. 

Qualities to Look For in an In-Home Care Assistant

Personal care assistants are special people. The required skill set for this role involves logistical capabilities as well as a great deal of emotional intelligence and patience. 

When considering a home care assistant for your elderly loved one, here are the key traits to look for. 

Timely and Reliable 

It’s absolutely critical that your elderly loved one’s helper arrives on time for scheduled visits. In rare instances of lateness or missed shifts, the assistant should inform all appropriate parties as soon as possible. 

A home-care worker’s punctuality, communication, and reliability provide your family with peace of mind. 

Considerate of Time-Sensitive Patient Needs 

An ideal home-care assistant is comfortable adapting to a patient’s schedule. Tasks such as medication administration, physical exercises, and meals should be performed consistently and on time. 

A personal assistant should also be prepared to calmly react to health care concerns and emergencies, such as falls. 

Mindful of Concerning Changes in a Patient’s Well-Being

Seniors may experience changes in conditions that they themselves are not aware of. It’s important to notice any concerning changes or behavior so that the appropriate health care providers can be informed. 

A personal assistant for your elderly loved one should be able to detect and react to substantial changes in these areas:

• Appearance
• Health
• Physical and cognitive abilities
• Sleep
• Mood

When concerning changes are noticed, personal assistants should be able to promptly and clearly communicate with a patient’s family and medical providers. 

Patient and Considerate

When working in personal home care, no trait is more valuable than patience. 

A skilled personal assistant can exhibit a caring attitude with a wide variety of individuals. From physical mobility limitations to cognitive disabilities, there are many challenges that seniors might rely on help to manage. 

Care providers must always take a patient’s specific difficulties into consideration. Even when the work is exhausting or uncomfortable, a home-care assistant must continue to show patience and compassion. 

Friendly and Personable

In a home-care situation, the patient is more than just a client. A personal assistant should be the type of person that treats everyone as an individual worthy of respect and kindness. 

A senior’s home-care helper should care about more than medical conditions. They should build a relationship over time and maintain an attitude that is both professional and caring. 

Able to Help With a Variety of Housekeeping Needs

Personal assistants for the elderly are trusted with a variety of important tasks. Rather than simply responding to requests, an ideal assistant addresses needs proactively. 

Typical responsibilities may include: 

• Errands
• Transportation
• Cleaning and tidying
• Laundry
• Assistance with preparing meals
• Administering medication
• Caring for pets
• Assistance with financial tasks such as bill payments 
• Help with facilitating social activities

Personal assistants may also help seniors arrange maintenance for their home, property, and vehicle. 

Identifying housekeeping and lifestyle needs and arranging appointments may be included in an assistant’s duties. This helps seniors maintain independence and comfort. 

Take Charge of Your At-Home Care

As a fiscal intermediary, CDChoices helps seniors with payroll and program administration services through Medicaid. Assistants can be paid through a consumer model. If you already have an aide who cares for you or your loved one, we can help arrange the paperwork to establish their payments. 

Here’s how the consumer-directed personal assistant program works: 

• Your physician writes a prescription for a home care evaluation
• Your local Department of Social Services or Managed Long Term Care Plan determines your eligibility
• You choose a fiscal intermediary such as CDChoices to provide payroll and benefits services
• You can recruit, hire, and train the individuals you wish to employ as home care workers or personal assistants

To learn more about taking charge of at-home care for you or your elderly loved one, contact CDChoices. We’re located in Albany New York. Our service areas include the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley, North Country, and Mid-Hudson Regions.