Back Up Care Planning
What happens if the primary caregiver is unavailable to provide care? Many caregivers have medical problems they neglect or develop over years of providing care to family members. Eventually, however, everyone becomes sick, and try as they might, they cannot come to work. The same is true of caregivers, even if they might want to pretend it can’t happen to them. To avoid panic when the inevitable happens, every family caregiver needs a plan for backup coverage either in writing, loosely outlined, or at least discussed with whoever will be responsible for replacing them.
Plan Options
In an urgent situation, time is not your friend. Therefore, your options are limited to what is available in your local area, within your price range, based on your family member’s care needs and your willingness to accept the plan.
Options NOT Available
- Unless you already have someone working for you who can step in, hiring someone new is out of the question. Recruitment takes too much time. Hiring requires advertising, interviewing, negotiating salary, and the new hire giving notice at their old job to start work for you. Plus, someone needs to orient them to the new job and set them up for payroll. Therefore, hiring is not an option for an emergency need, but it could be for a planned surgery.
- Letting your family member stay alone. Not an option.
Possible Options
- Contracting with a staffing agency to provide in-home care. Before an emergency, you can contact your local social services department and find out which staffing agencies service your area. You can call them and find out their service area, how much lead time they need to fill a request for help, cost, minimum hours required, services provided, length of contracts, etc.
- Be prepared to tell them what type of care you need. Companion care (someone to keep company), Personal Care (someone to help with baths, feeding, dressing, etc.), or skilled care (nursing skills required such as medication administration, catheterization, suctioning, etc.)
- Will you need three-eight-hour shifts, two-twelve-hour shifts, or something else?
- How long do you anticipate needing care?
- What is your budget?
- How do they screen their staff for competency skills and safety?
- What happens if someone calls in sick?
- What is the process if you are dissatisfied with the caregiver provided?
- Are there others in the family capable of providing caregiving responsibilities part-time as a backup? Can you train other family members or friends to replace you if you become sick or have an accident?
- Keep a folder of written instructions that include emergency information, medication schedule, daily routine, healthcare provider contacts (who cares for what and when to call), how to perform treatments, where to find supplies in your home, etc. Write the list as if you are not around to answer questions because you could be unconscious when the list is needed.
- Respite care availability – Some localities have respite care available for emergencies. If available, determine the requirements in advance and sign up. Find out how to get your name on the list if you need to use it.
- In an emergency, if you are in an ambulance leaving behind your family member, the process in most localities will likely involve the Adult Protective Services (APS) stepping in to find shelter under the Adult Neglect or Abandonment Laws. EMS contacts local dispatch who contacts the Police or Adult Protective Services. (APS) will find the next of kin responsible for caring for the family member left behind.
Other Things to Consider
To help EMS and alternate caregivers find information quickly, post Emergency Information in an easy-to-find location in your home.
Identify who will serve as an alternate care provider if known in your power of attorney document or advance directive.
Keep documents current and accessible. Date documents so it’s clear which is the current version.
