Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Having to move a loved one out of their home because they are no longer safe is a very stressful situation. By the time someone moves into an adult family home, their care needs are advanced, and they may be wheelchair bound, and sometimes even bedbound. Many times, family caregivers are stressed out with
logistics such as ‘how am I going to get them to and from appointments?’ or ‘do I need to be in touch
with their doctor to let them know they moved into the adult family home?’ Sometimes, a family
caregiver (usually an adult daughter or spouse) will be stressed about where to pick up medications and
when to drop them off. It is so wonderful to be able to calm the frayed nerves of concerned family
members by explaining that in an adult family home, a visiting physician can come to the home to treat
their loved one, and the adult family home will take over ordering, storing, and administering all the
medications. These two things alone can be very stressful for a family caregiver, and knowing they do
not have to be responsible for them any longer is a relief.
A few months ago, an adult daughter told me she spent 30+ hours a week managing her mother’s health
care needs. This included getting her to and from appointments, communicating with health care
specialists, picking up prescriptions, and supervising the care plan at her assisted living facility to make
sure it was being followed. She was exhausted! She had a day job as well as making sure her mom was
well cared for. When we got her moved into an adult family home, she was surprised that she did not
have to pick up her prescriptions any longer because the adult family home worked with Ready Meds, a
24/7 pharmacy that was able to bill her mother’s insurance. She was also thrilled that the home had a
service where a visiting physician was coming regularly to the home to care for the residents, which
replaced her mother’s need for an outside primary care physician. She no longer had to get her mother
into and out of her own vehicle to go to appointments. She was also able to finally trust that the care
plan was being managed correctly and safely by the adult family home provider, and that the caregivers
were indeed providing the care that her mother required to be safe and healthy in the adult family
home. The 30+ hour a week job of managing her mother’s care was no longer needed, and her only job
besides her day job, was being a daughter once again.
Just this week I am working with two adult daughters who are very stressed out, because their mothers
are not able to return home due to safety concerns. I was happy to tour with them and show them the
options where their moms can be safe and happy and receive compassionate care around the clock
without being in a hospital or nursing home setting. Both daughters believed that was their only option
for their mothers. Hospitals are appropriate at the right time, as well as nursing homes – for acute care
and for rehab following an injury or an illness. But they are not meant for the long term.
I love educating people on what options are available. Much of my job is education and I tell people
that all the time. How is anyone supposed to know what senior housing is all about without a service like
ours to help guide a family along the way? Families may be stressed when they first call me, but after
their loved one is moved into the home they choose with our help, that stress has melted away.
