At ages 79 and 86, Janice’s mother and father live in the same single-family home where Janice grew up. Janice lives in a town three hours away, but tries to visit her parents at least once or twice a month. They were getting by fairly well, but lately Janice has noticed things that concern her. There wasn’t much food in the refrigerator the last time she stopped by, and her mother had mentioned that driving to the store and shopping was tiring her out and getting to be too much for her. Both her parents looked a little disheveled, the house was cluttered, and Janice noticed a large pile of dirty laundry that had been there since the last time she visited. Most disturbing, Janice’s mother had a large bruise on her arm that she said she got from a recent fall in the bathroom, while stepping out of the tub.
“What do you think about hiring someone to help out once in awhile?” It wasn’t the first time Janice had gently brought up this topic with her parents. “An aide can help out with laundry and shopping and cleaning, and make sure Mom is safe in the bath.”
Her father’s response was lukewarm. “We can take care of ourselves. We need to save our money for a rainy day.” Janice knew that both her parents had small pensions, collected Social Security, and had a retirement nest egg tucked away that could see them through their lifetime.
“Maybe it is the rainy day,” said Janice. “Mom, what do you think? How about just a few hours a week?” After a pause her mother slowly nodded, and that got the conversation started.
Many seniors want to age at home for as long as possible. However, most people will need help at some point with household tasks such as shopping and cleaning, with personal care, or other activities of daily living. Many times family members are the first to notice that an aging parent is having trouble preparing meals, taking medications as directed, or keeping the house clean. Assistance from a homemaker or a home health aide can make the difference between a senior comfortably living at home, or struggling with everyday tasks and possibly ending up in a nursing home because of a preventable injury or a fall.
According to Genworth’s 2017 Cost of Care survey, the median cost for a homemaker in the U.S. was $20 per hour and $21.50 for a home health aide.[1] Compared to the cost of nursing home care, which can exceed $8,000/month, paying for home care services can be a wise decision. The challenge is often to convince thrifty seniors that it’s indeed time to tap into the savings they’ve worked hard for all their lives.
“My parents finally accepted help when they realized it was truly in their best interest — they weren’t going to lose their independence or run out of money,” said Janice. “It was an adjustment, but with a home health aide coming twice a week, they’re doing better, and I have more peace of mind.”
[1] http://newsroom.genworth.com/2017-09-26-Genworth-2017-Annual-Cost-of-Care-Survey-Costs-Continue-to-Rise-Across-All-Care-Settings
