5 Questions To Help You Select The Right Elderly Home Care In Singapore

With improved living standards and increased life expectancy in Singapore, there is a high possibility that you have/will have an elderly person in your family who needs to be looked after. With the ever busy lifestyles, we might find ourselves lacking the time to look after the elderly in the family. In addition, we may also lack the skills to properly care for them especially if they need specialized care due to a condition they might have.

Even though there is an option of sending them to an elderly care home, this often feels like neglecting them and taking them away from the people most close to them. The best option to provide adequate care to the elderly in your family is to contract an elderly home care service in Singapore. An elderly home care service will provide care for the elderly at their homes. Because the elderly person in your family is someone you love and would want them to get the best home care service, it is important to select an elderly home care agency which is professional and reputable. Here are some of the key 5 questions that will help you identify the Right elderly home care in Singapore.

#1 What Home Care Services Do You Provide?
Because your caregiver might be left with the elderly person on several occasions, they might be willing to assist them whenever they need help. You should be able to know the kind of services and assistance the caregivers provide to the elderly so as to know whether to hire them or not. A good elderly caregiver should be one who does all required services without discrimination. This services may range from bathing and grooming the elderly to doing laundry, cleaning the house, helping with movement and any other services that may be needed from them.

The best way to ensure you get all the services you need is to first identify the needs of the elder person in the family and ensure the caregiver can undertake all of them professionally. If the elderly person requires specialized care like nursing care which may involve administering medication, taking care of wounds etc., it is advisable to hire a caregiver with the necessary training and nursing care experience to provide care services. They will be able to ensure your loved one is being taken care according to the Doctors instructions.


#2 When Are You Available?
Inquire to find out when the caregivers are always available. As elderly needs are always different, it is advisable to select an elderly home care that will provide a caregiver at your convenience, no matter the day or time. The home care for the elderly should be able to provide you with caregivers depending on your elderly needs. This can be day-care or live in care service.

· Day Care service-
Here the caregiver comes to your home during the day and looks after the elderly person for a stipulated number of hours, mostly when you are busy or at work. Day care services are preferred especially if the elderly person can do a few tasks on their own and you or members of your family will be around when the caregiver leaves

· Live in care service-
This is where the care giver looks after the elderly family member throughout. Live in care service is recommended for elderly who need specialized care or those who live alone. This ensures that the care giver is always at hand to provide assistance and respond to any emergency situations. In the event your caregiver will not be available, no matter the reason, your elderly home care in Singapore should always send in a replacement.

#3 Are You Licensed To Provide Elderly Home Care Services?
You should only hire a caregiver from a licensed and accredited elderly home care provider. A licensed and accredited home care company means that the company passed all necessary requirements to provide home care services. Additionally, a licensed and accredited company will undertake its activities in a professional and ethical manner and follow the code of conduct stipulated in their licensing agreement.  It is also important to check whether they are insured as this gives you a peace of mind knowing that you may seek legal redress in the event of breach of obligations or any damage attributed to the caregiver while working at your home.

#4 What Are the Qualifications of Your Caregivers
Ask for qualifications and experience level of their caregivers. Because they will be dealing with the elderly, caregivers should be well trained on how to handle elderly people and have knowledge on first aid. Hiring an experienced caregiver is highly recommended as they have provided care to an elderly before and can better handle emergencies.

Some of the things you should know about your caregiver include:
· What training and experience do they have?
· Does their agency provide continuous training and refresher courses?
· Does your caregiver have any specialized training to help look after an elder person with specialized needs?
· Does the caregiver have the right temperament?
You can create a shortlist of a few caregivers and have the elderly family member to be looked after select who they prefer. This will enable them select a caregiver they feel they will be comfortable with.

#5 How Much Will It Cost for the Elderly Home Care Service
Even though cost should not be the main factor when selecting an elderly home care service, the current economic difficulty have made it an important factor. Select an elderly home care provider who has cost effective services. They should also be able to provide you a statement of all associated costs to enable you make an informed decision. To make the payments easier on your part, it is advisable to request whether the payments can be done in instalments. On advantage of elderly home care service is that they are affordable when compared to care homes.

Conclusion
Selecting the right elderly home care for your loved one is very important as it gives you peace of mind knowing your elderly family member is well taken care of. Furthermore, good elderly home care in Singapore have been credited with extending the life of the elderly as well as giving then a comfortable and dignified life in their sunset years.