Caring for an elderly loved one at home provides a great opportunity to ensure the individual remains in a comfortable space, within their community, and surrounded by the people, places, and things they love best—without any traumatic moves or transitions.
However, as age- and medically-related decline progresses, many seniors can no longer remain alone at night without supervision or support.
As mobility or stability diminishes, loved ones become more prone to nighttime falls. If memory decline is an issue, nighttime wandering or driving becomes a significant safety hazard. Then there are things like hygiene and incontinence care to consider. At that point, it’s time to explore overnight care options.
Overnight Care Options Support Senior Safety and Independence
Like respite care, overnight care options are available sporadically (respite care or substitute caregiver options), part-time, and full-time.
Signs indicating your loved one could benefit from overnight care include:
- Serious illness or injury that makes it harder for them to walk/transfer safely.
- Transitioning from a recent hospital or post-acute care facility stay.
- Reports (or physical indications) of nighttime bumps or fall accidents.
- Recent Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis or indications of more-than-normal forgetfulness.
- Reports from your loved one, police, neighbors, or friends of nighttime wandering or confusion.
- Evidence that nighttime or early morning medication doses have been skipped.
- Nighttime incontinence due to fear of falling at night.
- Reports of depression, loneliness, anxiety, or hopelessness.
- Spouse/family caregiver fatigue/burnout from loss of sleep.
That last bullet point is worth highlighting. If your loved one is cared for by you or a close family member, the caregiver must be amply rested. This includes getting a solid night’s sleep each and every night. In this sense, overnight care can be a form of respite care to protect primary family caregivers from burnout.
5 Tips for Hiring the Right Overnight Caregiver
1. Have an idea of what you’re looking for now and in the future
Caregiving agencies provide free in-home assessments where professional representatives ask questions, review your answers, and provide input about the home care services that make the most sense now and in the future.
Even so, it’s good to know what you’re looking for in the big picture. Make a list of all the reasons why you’re considering overnight care. This will keep the assessment more focused on the current needs and concerns.
2. Use a licensed, rather than freelance, caregiver
You may be tempted to hire a freelance caregiver or pay a neighbor/friend to help with night shifts because their hourly rate is more affordable than professional options. While this may work for a short time, it’s typically not a sustainable long-term solution.
In addition to putting you at risk for no-shows and late-shows, these caregivers don’t have the education, training, and experience to provide long-term care to accommodate inevitable age-related decline.
Plus, independent caregivers put themselves at risk for burnout because they do not have access to the benefits available to employees at a high-quality home care agency (livable wages, healthcare benefits, retirement plans, vacation and PTO, etc.).
Instead, we recommend looking for a high-quality, licensed home care agency with a team of familiar caregivers who rotate shifts. In addition to not having to worry about caregivers calling in sick at the last minute or showing up late, you’ll also know they’ve been vetted via complete criminal background and DMV checks.
3. Would you benefit from other home care services?
Professional caregivers don’t sleep during their overnight shifts. So, when they’re not providing hands-on care or assistance for the client, you can take advantage of other home care services.
Examples include:
- Light housekeeping and other household chores to keep the house neat and clean.
- Laundry and linen changes.
- Meal planning and preparation. Our caregivers can shop in advance or use ingredients on hand to prepare meals and snacks that are easy to eat straight from the fridge or microwave. In addition, our caregivers are experienced in making meals that align with clients’ medical recommendations.
- Bathing and grooming. Clients are safely supported or have assistance as needed with bathing and grooming tasks.
- Pet care. We’ll ensure pets are fed and watered, and that they don’t disrupt your loved one’s sleep.
4. Start preparing for the financial cost
In almost all cases, you’ll be paying for overnight care costs on an hourly basis. However, the time you spend vetting Inland Empire home care agencies through in-home assessments can help you to prepare for these costs.
We know all the tips and tricks for keeping home care services as affordable as possible, and we’ll share all the different ways to pay for home care in California.
In addition to cashing in savings, retirement funds, and insurance policies, programs like Medicare’s PACE program or VA benefits can also alleviate some out-of-pocket expenses.
5. Plan to meet with at least three home care agencies
Take the time to meet with at least three home care agencies before making your decision. Every agency has its own culture and ways of doing things. Make sure to ask the same questions during every “interview” (aka in-home assessment), so you can compare the answers afterward.
The odds are that one agency will stand out in terms of its caregiving approach or general “personality.” Ultimately, you want to hire the agency you feel is best for your loved one and the household. Once you’ve established a connection and have begun using their services, you can continue to add care services as needed along the way.
Learn More About Choosing the Best Overnight Care Provider
Are you interested in receiving more information about overnight care services? Just contact Families Choice Home Care to schedule a FREE in-home assessment.
In the meantime, click below to learn more about how to choose a home care agency that has the level of integrity, training, and professionalism your loved one deserves.
