Care in the Home

We all want to live in our own homes as we age. However, illness, injury, or chronic health conditions create significant challenges. If you find yourself or a loved one unable to live at home without assistance, care in the home might be a workable alternative to placement in an assisted living or skilled nursing facility.

Home Care
Personal assistance such as help with dressing, bathing, cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, meal planning, cooking, and more. These services are typically provided by a home care aide. This type of care is helpful to people suffering from dementia who have few health needs, but need consistent monitoring. Respite (e.g., while a caregiver is on vacation) or temporary care (e.g., short-term care following discharge from the hospital while you recover from surgery) are also available. IOA offers this service through our Older Adults Care Management program.

Home Health Care
To provide medical assistance or home health care, an agency in California must be licensed by the State, and medical services must be provided by a licensed nurse. Basic services include medication dosing and monitoring, prescription refills, and wound dressing changes, and can be overseen by a nurse as needed. Daily needs might include injections, medical equipment monitoring, etc. These services are available on a temporary or long-term basis. IOA offers home health care through Older Adults Care Management, a state-licensed home health agency providing medication monitoring and wound dressing changes.

Caregiver Support
When able, families often serve as full-time caregiver in the home. Because being available 24/7 can be very stressful, it is important for family caregivers to take breaks when needed. Home care or home health care agencies may be of assistance, providing respite care (to relieve a caregiver while taking a weekend off), or taking on one shift of care daily (such as the night shift, to allow the caregiver a period of uninterrupted rest). Please view our Caregiver Resources page for additional resources.

Care Coordination
A geriatric care manager can be an enormous help when you are considering alternatives to assisted living or nursing home placement. Care managers provide support during a time of difficult decision-making, and can save families countless hours by drawing on their familiarity with services in the Bay Area and specific training in geriatrics, social work, or nursing. Care managers offer unbiased information on available services, as they work directly for you and do not receive commissions for referrals. Visit our Care Coordination page to learn more about this service.

Would you like to speak with someone?
Please call (415) 750-4111 (toll free (877) 750-4111) to learn more about resources available to you for care in the home.