HealthBridge's In-Home Care Blog

Let’s face it, home care an be expensive.  Although the AARP says 82% of seniors want to live at home for as long as possible, uncontrolled home care expenses can make that impossible.  After providing tens of thousands of hours of home care, we’ve noticed some remarkable trends that can save families a lot of money.  Here are the top 4 ways to save money on home care.

1.  Leverage Your Network

The expression “it takes a village” has taken on a whole new meaning to the “sandwich generation,” which is caring for children and parents.  Work with a senior care expert to determine your loved one’s home care needs (HealthBridge will provide you with an In Home Care Needs Analysis free of charge).  Then contact your family, church, coworkers, retired friends and local senior centers to discuss how they can help. 

Remember, caring for a loved one is emotionally taxing, so work with your senior care advisor to determine how and when to call in the pros.  Think of the professional caregivers as supplemental to the network of caregivers you’ve already created. 

2.  Use Professional Home Care for Results  -  Not Hours

A strange thing happens to families that hire home care providers.  They begin their search by thinking in terms of outcomes:  safety and security for their loved one, peace of mind for themselves, etc.  Then, because home care is typically delivered by the hour, they start thinking about hours of care instead of outcomes. 

The fact is more hours of care do not necessarily equal more safety, security or peace of mind.  The most effective home care plans are those that maximize outcomes and minimize hours.  This produces the best result at the lowest cost.

3.  Choose Live In Care

Sometimes a senior absolutely must have someone with them all the time to achieve the safety, security and peace of mind they want.  If this is the case, consider live in care.  Live in care is substantially less expensive than home care by the hour and is usually on par with average assisted living prices. 

4.  Leverage Home Care Technologies

In most healthcare settings, technology is used to extend the reach of the care providers.  Think of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a Hospital.  ICUs are typically staffed with the lowest nurse to patient ratios (less patients per nurse = more attention), but ICUs also use the most supportive technology.  Clinicians in an ICU focus their time on critical tasks, where they do the most good.  They fill in the gaps between tasks with supportive technologies.

In home care, the most effective plans of care use caregivers to deliver specific, measurable tasks and use technology to support the senior, the caregiver and the family.  Devices like remote patient monitors, medical alert call buttons and automated pill dispensers can provide a great deal of safety, security and peace of mind and save your family thousands of dollars. 

When we do an In Home Care Needs Analysis for a family, the resulting plan of care typically incorporates several of these ideas to extend the reach of the caregiver and save the family money. 

What do you think of these money saving ideas?  Any additional money saving tips?