Simple Questions to Help Assess a Senior’s Home Care Service Needs
When contemplating hiring an in-home caregiver, the first thing to do is assess the senior’s abilities and needs. There is a professional assessment scale known as the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale that is used to test a senior's level of functionality and help agencies determine the level of care that is needed.
To get a head start on this assessment, here are some simple questions to ask about the senior’s abilities:
Using the Phone:
• Can the senior operate the phone on his or her own (look up and dial numbers, etc.)?
• Can the senior dial a few well-known numbers?
• Can the senior answer the phone, but not dial?
• Does the senior not use the phone at all?
Shopping:
• Can the senior take care of all shopping independently?
• Can the senior only make small purchases independently?
• Does the senior need to be accompanied on shopping trips?
• Is the senior completely unable to shop?
Cooking:
• Can the senior plan, prepare and serve meals?
• Can the senior prepare meals if given the ingredients?
• Can the senior heat and serve prepared meals?
• Does the senior need to have meals prepared and served?
Housekeeping & Laundry:
• Does the senior maintain house independently?
• Can the senior only perform light chores, like bed making and dishwashing?
• Does the senior need help with all home maintenance tasks?
• Does the senior do personal laundry completely?
• Does the senior only launder small items?
• Does the senior need all laundry done for him or her?
Some other areas in which seniors may need assistance include travel, medication and finances. If you need help determining a senior’s home care needs, contact Nurses Unlimited today.
Posted on 11/01/2011, by Samantha Young to Elder care, Services, Eldercare
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