Assessing how much support someone truly needs is more challenging than it seems. Families err on the side of either too little, not recognizing what it takes until it’s too late, or too much, jumping ahead to assume that their loved one requires constant supervision when that’s not the case. Getting the level of care right is critical. Too little misses out on necessary help that could keep everyone safe, and too much divests someone of the independence they still have.
Furthermore, needs change. Sometimes gradually, sometimes overnight. What worked last month may not work this month. What seems like excess today may be just right in six months. This makes finding the right balance an honest assessment based on current capabilities and realistic expectations of what’s sustainable for the family in the long run.
Starting With An Honest Assessment
The first honest assessment starts with what someone can/cannot safely do on their own. This isn’t just limited to physical restrictions. Can they handle their medications? Do they forget meals? Do they tend to personal hygiene needs? Do they recognize when something is wrong and ask for help?
Too often families have a skewed perception of decline because they only get short visits where both parties are putting their best foot forward. The senior may be capable of holding it together for a few hours but is falling apart for the rest. Sometimes, the only way to get accurate information is by talking with neighbors, assessing the fridge for expired food, or noticing that clothes are being worn repeatedly since laundry hasn’t been done.
While medical professionals can assist in these assessments, those professionals only see a snapshot, too. Instead, the most accurate picture usually exists when medical assessments and personal assessments over time combine to create a factual understanding.
Recognizing Different Levels of Support
Support isn’t one-size-fits-all, but that’s great news because it means that families start with what’s needed rather than immediately jumping to maximum intervention. For example, companionship and light housekeeping may be enough when someone is basically independent but shouldn’t be left home alone all day or cannot manage heavier cleaning needs anymore. This level of care focuses on safety oversight and cleanliness efforts to ensure basic sustainability and organization in the home.
This is where personal care assistance comes into play. This level meets bathing, dressing, grooming, and mobility assistance needs. This is where many families stop providing care themselves—much like in the case of personal care assistance—this caregiver support can become physically strenuous and uncomfortable when it’s a parent/spouse needing intimate assistance.
Options through home care services typically range from a few hours a week to around-the-clock coverage, depending on what someone’s situation requires. The flexibility means families can adjust the level of support as needs change rather than making an all-or-nothing choice between complete independence and full-time care.
Furthermore, skilled nursing care at home meets wound needs, multistep medication management, chronic condition assessment, etc. This level of assistance mostly comes into play after serious hospitalizations or when individuals have conditions that require regular assessments and attention from other professionals.
Common Mismatches and Why They Happen
Underestimating needs occurs when families overextend themselves instead of taking the honest approach to what’s manageable (and safe). No one wants to admit that their parent can no longer live alone so families convince themselves that check-in phone calls every day and a visit once per week are more than sufficient. Then comes a fall, a missed medication dose, or a failure to eat meals and suddenly everyone is scrambling to put together emergency solutions.
Overestimation happens less frequently but still occurs, especially right after a hospitalization scare. A senior has a down week where they don’t want to move due to new diagnoses and treatment plans, and families think that they need maximum at-home care instead of supplementary support to rebound.
Otherwise, mismatching occurs when family caregivers underestimate or overestimate their ability to provide care. Someone might want nothing more than to be their parent’s primary caregiver but if they’re working full-time and raising children as well, something has to give and it’s either their health, or the help their parent ultimately receives.
Flexibility Is Key As Things Change
Getting the care level right isn’t a one-time decision. Someone might do fine with minimal support for months only for someone else to decline and require increased efforts. The opposite holds true as well, someone might get stabilization after an illness and no longer require additional support.
Assessment efforts over time mean that gaining appropriate care gets easier in concept. Ideas shift from how to structure in practical application to how best to re-evaluate support needs now that sustained time has passed. Quality care plans allow for adjustments without locking anyone into an ineffective situation over time. Life exists as a fluid situation requiring compromise options that enable the person receiving care more autonomy without sacrificing legitimate success.
The Ultimate Goal
The point of matching care levels correctly is maintaining quality of life while ensuring safety. Too little support creates dangerous situations and stress for everyone involved. Too much support can take away dignity and independence that someone still values and is capable of maintaining.
When support is matched appropriately everyone feels safer. Families aren’t overwhelmed and stressed about increased expectations because they’re at their wits’ end with their loved one finding themselves in danger day after day without proper resources. Instead it exists in a harmonious relationship with greater potential for quality of life without worrying about logistics for day-to-day survival. That’s what getting it right looks like in real time!
