AI would venture to say that many of us are aware of older adults who could benefit by some assistance at home but refuse. The reasons given vary. “I don’t want a stranger in my home.” “It costs too much.” And the most frequent reason – “I don’t need any help!” As adult children of aging parents and as professional Geriatric Care Managers, we would like to provide an easy answer to this dilemma, however there isn’t one. Often what must happen is that the older person has to fail living at home independently. That sounds a bit harsh, and we don’t want them to fail by getting injured or harmed. But they have to come to the realization themselves that in order to remain in their own home, they must have assistance. Sometimes that assistance can be as little as one hour once or twice daily, or six hours once a week. Once a “foot in the door” is accomplished, trust is established, and a positive relationship begins with the Caregiver, services can be enhanced to better meet the needs of the individual and achieve their goal of staying at home!

Karen Jeselun, RN, CCM, CEO