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Is it safe to have strangers in the home providing care?

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Is it safe to have strangers in the home providing care?
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Is it safe to have strangers in the home providing care?

What goes on behind closed doors is an understandable concern, especially if the elder has some cognitive loss or feels dependent on the homecare worker.  Many people hire homecare workers based on personal recommendations. Others will only work with certified agencies where the homecare workers are over sighted, trained and bonded.

However, in all cases it is critical to have eyes and ears available locally. This is not a process easily managed long-distance. Anyone with help in the home would benefit from help coordinating homecare workers and other staff going in and out of the home.

One option is to put “Nanny Cams” in the home to record the goings on, but this can be seen as the ultimate degradation, being watched by “big brother”. Another, more real-time and less intrusive option is hiring a care manager who can closely monitor the situation, soothe elders’  hurt feelings, address the anger that comes from losing one’s independence, provide direction to the homecare worker and feedback to families –especially for those who are unable to be regularly present in the elder’s life.

Jewish Home Lifecare has a comprehensive approach to care management which might combine technology and the presence of various professions involved in providing services to the senior, always supervised by the nurse or social worker care manager.