Starting home care often means significant changes for both you and your family member. It's another person, or people, in the home. It's care duties that your family member was used to you doing, or doing alone, now being done by another person - often a stranger. It's work that you as a caregiver may have taken pride in (or disliked) that now is in the hands of someone else.
Home Care: A Family Caregiver's Guide outlines many of these changes, from types of home care services, kinds of home care staff, payment, and how this can affect you as a family caregiver. The Family Caregiver's Planner for Care at Home can help you keep track of who is coming, when, and what their roles are in care.
Having a smooth relationship with the people providing home care services can be essential for proper care and safety, as well as peace of mind. The guide Working with Home Health Aides provides tips on understanding the aide's duties and restriction can be, communicating clearly with each other, and being clear regarding the working relationship and expectations.
And what what does it mean for you and your family member when home care services stop? The guide When Home Care Ends discusses the impact of the close of home care services so you can be prepared and have plans in place.