Focus on Respite
Questions to Ask When Hiring a Caregiver
- Are you licensed with the state?
- Are you bonded and insured?
- How long have you been in the business?
- What type of training have you had?
- What are your fees? What do they cover?
- Will my insurance cover your fees?
- Is there a contract?
- Are you fingerprinted?
- Have you had a background screening?
- Have you ever been reprimanded by the state?
- When can you start?
Selecting an Adult Day Care Center
Caregivers often are given the task of finding an adult day care center for their loved ones so they can continue to hold down a job and take care of family responsibilities.
While a clean and safe facility are top priorities, caregivers should ask a number of questions to find out if the atmosphere fits with the personalities of both the caregiver and the care recipient.
A tour of the facility will only give a surface evaluation. Here are a few questions to ask to gain peace of mind that there is a good fit.
- What kinds of services are provided?
- What kinds of activities are offered and how often?
- Is transportation provided?
- What about meals?
- What are the qualifications of the caregivers? Do they have experience with your loved one’s condition?
- What is the ratio of caregivers to clients? (One caregiver to three or four clients is a good number.)
- Have the employees been fingerprinted and had background checks?
- What are the hours of operation?
- What is the cost?
- What happens if I’m late for pickup?
- Are they licensed or accredited by the state or any other organizations?
- Can they provide references?
- Can I talk to some clients and their families?
- Can I drop in to visit during the day?
- Is the building wheelchair accessible?
- Are there comfortable chairs for relaxation or napping?
- Is the facility clean, pleasant and free of odor?
- Did you feel welcomed?
Share the Care
Share the Care is all about options.
The non-profit organization offers choices for people who want to remain in the comfort of their own homes for as long as possible. It gives a break or respite to caretakers of frail, physically and mentally-impaired adults.
The options include three adult care centers that open five days a week, four neighborhood centers that offer care one or two days a week, emergency crisis care, respite care workers that visit homes, a memory disorder clinic affiliated with Orlando Regional Medical Center and overnight care in assisted living centers.
Last year, Share the Care served 1,300 Central Florida families with a $1.2 million budget. It provided educational classes for caregivers as well as sponsoring a two-night, three-day forum at a local hotel so family caregivers can relax and rejuvenate.
The need for relief will only increase as the population ages.
“We are in the midst of a paradigm shift,” said Mary Ellen Grant, executive director of Share the Care. “Baby Boomers are shopping around for the best quality care for family members. The statistics are mind-boggling. People who live to 85 years of age have a 50 percent chance of having dementia.”
About 77 million babies were born in the United States during the boom years of 1946 to 1964. In 2011, the oldest will turn 65 and on average can expect to live to 83. Many will continue well into their 90s, according to a 2003 report on retirement by the Harvard School of Public Health.
The Orlando non-profit started in 1986 with a small grant through the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative awarded to the Christian Sharing Center in Orlando. The first Alzheimer’s Respite Care Program (ARCP) was set up at a local church and other grants paid for overnight emergency care. As demand increased, the ARCP enlarged its reach to include any family providing care for an older adult at home and became Share the Care, an independent 501 (c) 3, in 2002.
Services are funded through a number of federal and local grants and sources including: the National Family Caregiving Program, the Older Americans Act, City of Orlando, Heart of Florida United Way and Orlando Regional Healthcare.
While researching for grant funds, Mary Ellen Grant discovered that that Florida’s memory disorder clinics were not successfully reaching the African American community.
"Of the 2,864 new patients evaluated at memory disorder clinics in Florida, from 2002 to 2003, only 125 or 4.3 percent were African Americans, where as recent studies show African Americans represent 14.6 percent of the state’s total population,” Grant said.
To meet the demand, Share the Care opened an adult care center in downtown Orlando to cater to the underserved Washington Shores, Parramore and Holden Heights neighborhoods. Depending on income level, nearly every one of the 26 clients that attend receives full or partial waivers, according to Grant.
A 69-year-old man named Franklin plays dominoes with two other men on a picnic table outdoors while another group dances to the tunes of their youth. The retired airways facility technician trades stories about flying and wears one of the construction-paper blue plaid hats. Clients stay busy with memory activities, sing-a-longs, movie matinees and exercise classes. The centers allow families to continue working while caring for their loves ones.
“The center helps extend social circles and makes people feel they are worthy,” said Yvonne Miller, director of the Orlando adult care center. “We’re like family, fulfilling their needs as well as providing support for caregivers.”
Share the Care offers services for residents of Orange and Seminole counties. Rates are based on the recipient’s income and are on a sliding fee scale. For more information go to www.helpforcaregivers.org or call 407-423-5311.
