The responsibilities of taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may seem overwhelming at times. Between managing your own work-life balance and helping manage your loved one’s condition, you’ll likely find that your juggling more than you ever felt possible. That said, at one point or another, you’ll likely consider bringing a caregiver into your home or the home of your loved one.
While there are many people out there that offer caregiver services to for those with either of these conditions, you’ll want to be very particular about who it is you finally choose. After all, if the objective of bringing a caregiver into your home is to reduce stress levels and improve everyday well-being, then you’ll want to make sure whoever you select makes everyone happy—including your loved one.
One way to ensure you’ve done everything you can to select a caregiver is simply to take plenty of time to interview each of the candidates. Once you’ve narrowed down your selection to two or three candidates, then you should introduce each of them to your loved one and carefully read his or her responses to the candidates. Be sure to take time to notice your loved one’s body language, as non-verbal clues may often tell just as much about how your loved one feels as direct, verbal communication.
Because the caregiver will likely spend a growing amount of time with your loved one, you’ll want to do everything within your power to ensure he or she has been placed in trusting, capable hands. Even after you make your final selection and successfully introduce the caregiver into your loved one’s life, you’ll still need to check-in periodically to ensure the relationship works for everybody. If, however, you suspect a caregiver has treated your loved one improperly or acted in negligent or abusive manner, then you should reach out to an Ohio elder care attorney without delay.
