First Home Care Session

I am having my first home care session for my husband who has Alzheimer's.  This will start in just 3 days on Monday!  I am very excited to tell you all about it.

Home Care:  Is help on the way?

I have put this off for a very long time.  If you read my assisted living website page about my husband's visit to the nursing home, you will recall how exhausted I had become and how I vowed to start home care.  I procrastinated but now I am finally doing it.

When he was in the nursing home for 2 1/2 weeks back in May, I had a chance to rest and rejuvenate.  That was 2 plus months ago.   I feel the tiredness slowly creeping back and I do not want to get that way again ever.

I did not realize at the time how exhausted I had become from caring for someone 24 hours a day who has Alzheimer's.  I warned you that if you are taking care of someone else, you are not taking care of yourself.  You need help.   My goal was to every 3 months have a break from home care, but now I am going to have an opportunity to see if the home care helps me instead of a longer break.

The Home Care Schedule:

I will be having 10 hours a week.  I opted to spread them out over 3 days.  I understand this can be changed if I find another schedule would be better.  But I will begin with this and see how it goes.

How did this come about?

I had been doing research.  I visited 2 or 3 nursing homes.  Also saw assisted living facilities.  Checked up on where to get Home Care and Adult Daycare.

I was given a temporary home care visit permission from Medicare after the nursing home stay, but I never started it because it was summer and one thing after another came up and I just never got to it.

But it was just as well because it would have been temporary.  But for those who have medicare this is a good way to "try out" home care if the patient qualifies for this benefit.  Inquire to your doctor.

Veterans Health care

However, unknown to me at the time, a better offer was on the horizon.  Since my husband had served honorably in the Navy when he was a young man, he had some veterans benefits available.  They just weren't available last year when I called due to lack of monies.

Everything has changed this year at the Veterans Health care.  Apparently there is money available to help vets.  Very exciting.  I was actually called back by them.  This is one year later since I first asked for help last year.  They have been very helpful and quickly set up an appointment for an in-home nursing assessment and now we will have the first session on this coming Monday, Aug 11 with an assigned aide.

Many Options for Health Care

The Veterans program may be my answer.  If you do not have this program available to you, check with your local Office on Aging to see what benefits you or a loved one may qualify for.  If you can afford the generally high rates for assisted living facilities and that is the option you prefer then that may be the best choice for you.  Or you may find it is more economical to have a home health aide.  Your choices are a live-in aide or one who comes at various times.  There are many choices for care and help to consider.

Home Care Blog

I will be blogging about the experience after Monday and updating my website about home care as well.   So please check back to read my home care experiences.

Home Care Instructions

I  wrote out an Instruction Sheet for the home care worker.  They didn't ask me to do this but I felt it was necessary.

Alzheimer's is a strange disease and each patient is different and has behaviors unique to them.

What to do With My Ten Hours a week

I am excited to have three hours alone to myself on Monday.  It will be great.  I just don't know what I will do with those 3 hours.  It's not that I don't have anything to do I just don't know what to do first.

The nursing home had recommended that I have 3-4 hours five times a week so it may be that I need to supplement the 10 hours.  I will find out and let you know.

Shopping?  Massage?  Walk?  Exercise?  Work?  Just sit and be alone somewhere peaceful.  So many choices.

I am thinking the best thing to do would be to do something that will be rejuvenating like a walk or yoga.

What would you do??  Let me hear from you.