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Arranging for in-home aged care

One of the most cost-effective and flexible arrangements when you need assistance to care for a loved senior member of your family is to find an appropriately caring person to live in with your loved one. This frees you to give loving attentions without the stresses of being the primary caregiver. A spare room in the family home can provide a viable option for alternate caregivers. Live-in carers can be particularly helpful for night time care, split shifts (a few morning hours, a few evening hours) or other individual scheduling needs.

Choosing the right carer is a great start but there are a number of other factors to be considered.

Preparing the room

Unless a granny-flat is attached to the family home, accommodation for live-in help must be made available. A live-in worker requires a separate bedroom, with bathroom and kitchen privileges. Access to television, computer, radio, stereo or car should be discussed prior to commencement to suit the individuals involved. An intercom (or baby monitor) is a useful tool to call the caregiver from the recipient's bedroom.

Before you start interviewing people, make sure you have the spare room ready and presentable. Typically a furnished room is offered, but if the carer prefers their own furniture you may wish to provide an unfurnished room. Make sure there is adequate closet space for the person's clothes and personal belongings. Determine whether the carer will have a bathroom apart or share one with others. Do not offer your storage or junk room for the carer's use without clearing it out. You might consider getting help from a friend or a professional cleaning service to get the room ready to show. Minimum requirements for a furnished room are:

Bed

Dresser

Nightstand and lamp

Chair

Closet (not already full) with plenty of coat-hangers.

Defining your expectations

Remember, the person you employ will not become a family member, nor should the carer be treated as a guest. For this reason, setting boundaries for the employee will be important to both of you.

Consider the following:

Limit the hours. Do not expect any live-in carer to work round-the-clock. Provide a reasonable schedule with an appropriate amount of free time. If your situation requires flexibility, be sure that you establish how any extra hours worked or "on call" will be compensated.

Respect privacy. Make sure your carer has adequate privacy during non-working hours in their bedroom or the bathroom. Establish appropriate common areas of the house where they can relax.

Establish a meal routine. Give the carer the choice of having meals at established mealtimes or on their own, as long as it does not interrupt their duties (e.g., cooking, serving, cleaning up).

Food and fridge. Decide if the carer will share your food or buy their own. Will they have free range of the fridge, or have a designated shelf?

Set a telephone usage policy. Installing a second phone line for your live-in carer is a good idea and can eliminate issues about phone use and paying for long-distance calls. If you do not plan to have a separate phone, establish a clear phone policy (e.g., when friends may call, how long to stay on the phone, paying for calls).

Visiting rules. Your carer lives in your home, so it is reasonable to allow guests outside of working hours. However, you should discuss and agree upon limitations on visiting such as late at night, overnight and long-term visitors.

While sharing the family home with a carer will take some adjustment, it can provide some key advantages for those willing to try. Your loved one gets a convenient, economical source of help at home, potentially avoiding or postponing placement in a residential care facility. The care worker gets an important fringe benefit -- a place to live. And, you (and other family members) get additional support and help with the personal care giving duties.

Danielle Robertson is the CEO of DIAL-AN-ANGEL^®. Established in 1967 it is the only national agency specialising in the provision of home and family care. The company provides eldercare-at-home^®, in-home nursing, respite care, palliative and convalescent care, as well as child care, housekeeping services, handyman services, in-home entertaining and corporate functions. 1300 721 111.