Our Ask An Angel correspondent is Arlene Petersen, Certified Senior Advisor and Life Care Navigation Specialist in the area of senior home care.
Q. I am the sole caregiver for my mother and I live out of state. She lives alone and her care needs have been minimal until recently. Do you have any suggestions on caring for someone long-distance?
A. Long distance caring can be done with the right tools in place. It is good that your āradarā has picked up her changes. In order to be successful, you must assess a few things. First, you must determine if she is safe at home. If she is, then you must determine what your motherās current support system looks like. Does she need help with the activities of daily living? Can she drive? Is she connected to a senior group or church community? If extended family is not available to help you, I suggest contacting the Senior Services group in her area or a caregiver support group in her area. They have excellent resources. I also suggest interviewing reputable caregiving agencies. Their professional caregivers can help with those activities of daily living that may be difficult for her. If you need a second set of eyes on her, a caregiver in the home is a great way to accomplish this. A good agency will have systems in place that allow you to be an active participant in her care, even from a distance. When working with a licensed agency, the first step will be an assessment to inventory her needs, a typical a state requirement. This assessment allows for a care plan to be put in place. Another way to manage her care is to work with a geriatric care manager. These professionals donāt provide care, but rather help a family navigate through the many services that are available in your motherās area. They, too, begin with an assessment, and then give direction on how to proceed. These two simple suggestions will be a great place to start and will bring comfort to both you and your mother.
You can learn more on the State of IL Department of Aging website. That website is: www.illinois.gov/aging/AboutUs/Pages/legal_adv-directives.aspx
Have a question for our angel correspondent? You can send our angel an email to apetersen@visitingangels.com or send your question via mail to Ask An Angel, 65 Woodbury St., South Elgin, IL 60177.
