3 Qualities to Look for When Choosing an In-Home Healthcare Worker for an Alzheimer's Patient

As an athlete, one of the last things I expected was to develop arthritis. However, I did. To me, arthritis meant I had to slow down, get a cane, and keep my legs elevated at all times. My doctor helped me to understand that I could continue living my life with some simple modifications to my daily routine. I did not have to give up sports. I created this blog to help other athletes who have been newly diagnosed with arthritis. With proper nutrition and the right lifestyle changes, you do not have to give up the sports you love.

3 Qualities to Look for When Choosing an In-Home Healthcare Worker for an Alzheimer's Patient

11 February 2016
 Categories: , Articles


Looking after an Alzheimer's patient isn't easy, and it takes a certain kind of person to offer high quality in-home healthcare. Therefore, when searching for an in-home health aide for your loved one, make sure you choose a candidate with the following qualities:

Patience

Alzheimer's is an extremely difficult condition to live with, and it's very likely that your loved one will become angry and upset from time to time, particularly when they have trouble remembering simple things. Therefore, it's vitally important that you choose an in-home health aide with a great deal of patience in order to ensure your loved one is supported during difficult times.

Your at home health aide should be able to remain calm under stressful situations to ensure they don't increase your loved one's anxiety. They should also be able to listen to your loved one intently to ensure they fully understand what he or she needs at any given time. Communication can be difficult for Alzheimer's patients, so they need someone who is able to read between the lines and deliver high quality care throughout the day. By ensuring your at home health aide has patience as a virtue, you ensure your loved one is listened to and cared for when you're not around.

Flexibility

Flexibility is an important character trait for many professionals, but it's particularly important for at home health aides. The reason for this is due to the importance of their role. If your loved one has no family members around to care for them, your in-home health aide is fully responsible for delivering high quality care until others return home. Therefore, it's important that your in-home healthcare worker is flexible with their schedule and is able to stay after hours if the situation arises.

When interviewing potential candidates, make sure you let them know what is expected of them and if they will potentially be required to work additional hours. Most in-home health aides will be fine with this; they understand the importance of their role and will want to provide the best care possible for your loved one. If they appear to be extremely rigid with their schedule, it's best to look elsewhere, as you want to make sure your loved one has access to high quality healthcare at all times.

Experience

All home healthcare workers need experience in order to carry out their job on their own. However, when choosing a home health aide for your loved one, you should make sure your potential candidates have a wealth of experience in working specifically with Alzheimer's patients. Alzheimer's is a very unique illness and patients with this illness can be very difficult to care for. Therefore, to ensure your loved one is given the best care possible, make sure you only employ fully qualified healthcare workers with a proven track record in caring for Alzheimer's patients.

When interviewing potential candidates, make sure you ask them about the intricacies of their job and what difficult situations they have encountered in the past. Ask how they handled the problem and how they provided high quality care throughout the process, as this will give you a good indication of how they will handle problems your loved one may encounter down the line. Once you have a few suitable candidates, speak to their references in order to validate any claims the candidate may have made during the interview process. Be vigilant with this; if you need additional referees to fully qualify a candidate's experience, don't hesitate to ask. Any fully qualified and experienced in-home healthcare worker should be happy to provide you with a list of referees who will back up their claims.

If you're looking for an in-home healthcare worker, consider looking into local services, such as In Your Home Care, to consider all your options.

About Me
Tips for Athletes With Arthritis

As an athlete, one of the last things I expected was to develop arthritis. However, I did. To me, arthritis meant I had to slow down, get a cane, and keep my legs elevated at all times. My doctor helped me to understand that I could continue living my life with some simple modifications to my daily routine. I did not have to give up sports. I created this blog to help other athletes who have been newly diagnosed with arthritis. With proper nutrition and the right lifestyle changes, you do not have to give up the sports you love.

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