Senior Care 101: 5 Signs You Need to Change Caregivers
Entrusting someone to care for yourself or a family member is a difficult thing to do. People who have experiences with caregivers who don’t provide high-quality senior care can tell you that there are many signs that indicate that they aren’t a good fit. Here are five signs that you need to change caregivers.
Inadequate Care
Senior care services are necessary for elderly people who have limitations and healthcare needs that they cannot provide themselves. Hiring unqualified individuals to meet this need is an issue that families frequently encounter. This becomes apparent when they fail to provide an adequate level of care. In this situation, the caregiver misses medications, fails to provide meals, or doesn’t otherwise fulfill the duties needed to care for their client. Sometimes, this is because they only have professional experience to care for a client with fewer needs.
No Companionship
Most caregivers provide companionship as well as medical care for seniors at home. This helps clients to meet some of their social needs in addition to the caregiving they require. Occasionally, a caregiver does not click well with their client. As a result, they don’t provide a level of companionship that can meet their clients social needs. This can be due to a clash in personalities, which is somewhat normal to experience from time to time.
Evidence of Abuse
According to the Nation Council On Aging, ten percent of seniors over 60 years of age experience elder abuse. Elder abuse occurs when someone physically abuses, sexually abuses, or neglects the needs of an older person who is vulnerable because of their age. The perpetrators of elder abuse include family members, spouses, and even home care providers.
Seniors who present with suspicious bruises, neglected wounds, or changes in behavior may be victims of any of these types of elder abuse. Sudden changes in weight can also indicate elder abuse if food is being withheld from the victim. If you suspect abuse, it’s important to identify the perpetrator and remove the victim from their care before the abuse escalates.
They’re Unreliable
Nothing is worse than a caregiver you don’t trust to show up on time, especially for clients who require care around the clock. The elderly caregiving needs of a client don’t stop because the home care nurse or companion can’t get to work on time. Caregivers who routinely stay beyond their shifts to bridge the gap with a late colleague experience burnout. Clients left without a caregiver for an extended period of time often rely on family members to change their schedules to meet their needs until another caregiver can fill in.
Lack of Communication
Caregivers for the elderly who fail to communicate effectively can also cause issues. This is especially true if their client has difficulty communicating or remembering the events of the day on their own. Competent caregivers share medication logs, incident reports, and other generalized information with their client’s family members. Many families take over caregiving duties overnight, so it is imperative that they know medication intervals, if their loved one has experienced any injuries or medical crises, whether they received adequate meals, and more. A caregiver who is unable to report what happened all day is a huge red flag. You should replace any caregiver who doesn’t provide transparent communication to facilitate adequate care for you or your loved one.
It’s hard to find a caregiver who is right for your family. If you’re looking for senior care services, A Better Solution In Home Care is here to help. Visit our website to find an excellent home care provider near you!
