From Chaos to Calm – Finding Home Care in Westchester, NY
Busy, overwhelmed, stressed out, and exhausted. I am like so many others in the Westchester/Bronx area. My life consisted of working full-time, running forgotten lunches to my children’s school, and taking my mom to her doctors appointments. This is the life I’d grown accustomed to over the last few years and it was time to make a change.
Finding A Solution
Recently, I created a list of everything that I absolutely have to do and made another list of tasks that could be delegated to others. I found that outside of work, I spent at least 20 hours per week taking care of my parents. Grocery shopping, meal prep, medication management, and more, became almost daily routines for me. I suffered from burnout as a result. Too much taking care of everyone else and not enough taking care of myself. At that moment, I decided to outsource tasks I did for my parents, but I didn’t know where to start.
I asked my friends and colleagues who also had aging parents and children how they managed to do it all. They told me they used caregiving services. I remember feeling nervous, as I knew my parents wouldn’t agree to being placed in a nursing home. On top of that, I didn’t think they necessarily required that level of service. My peers assured me that home care services were also available and urged me to look online.
My Online Search
I began spending what little free time I had looking online for local home care services. Within moments, I felt overwhelmed and defeated by all the healthcare jargon. My mind also began wondering who my parents and I could really trust. How could I ensure a person is skilled and experienced enough to handle what my parents needed?
I changed my keyword search to “home care agency in Westchester” after deciding that going through a company was likely safer and more convenient.
I narrowed my search down to only companies that could provide:
- Medication reminders
- Light housekeeping
- Grocery shopping
- Meal preparation
- Laundry
- Transportation to and from appointments
- Assistance with light exercise
I Found A Home Care Agency in Westchester
After what felt like a long and exhausting search, I found a website that easily answered so many of my caregiving questions. The Caring People Inc. website was very easy to navigate and they used verbiage I could understand. Questions such as:
- How can home care can be paid for?
- What services are provided by home care agencies?
- Is long term care insurance an option?
- How are employees screened/vetted?
- What should I expect on the first day?
Not only that, but their blog acknowledged so many of the things I could relate to, such as caregiver stress and burnout. Caring People Inc. also showcased real caregivers monthly and how they made an impact. I even read one about a caregiver in the Westchester/Bronx area!
At the moment, I knew what I had to do and felt comfortable when I picked-up a phone and set-up a consultation. It’s a decision I’ll never regret!
