If you're a new caregiver for an elderly parent and you still work outside of the home, you'll probably need some sort of help if you're worried about leaving your parent at home alone. If your mother or father has a medical condition or dementia, it may not be safe to leave them alone.

Even if your parent is in fairly good health, they may get lonely when left alone for several hours and that could diminish their enjoyment of life. A possible solution is to use a senior home care service to visit or stay with your parent while you're at your job. Here's how that might work.

Talk To Your Parent's Doctor 

If your parent has a certain medical condition, their insurance or other organization might provide coverage for in-home care. For instance, if your parent has Alzheimer's, they might qualify for hospice or other types of care. However, you don't have to use insurance coverage to get senior home care. You can self-pay for the number of services you want.

Determine When Care Is Needed

If it takes your parent a long time to complete grooming and eating in the mornings, you might want someone to come to your house right before you leave work so they can get your parent bathed and dressed for the day. They can also provide breakfast and lunch if needed. By spending a few hours at your house in the mornings, your parent will only be home alone during the afternoon.

It might be necessary to have senior home care for a full day while you're at work. This could be needed if your parent has problems with mobility or has dementia and is unsafe to stay alone. Having someone, even if it's just a sitter, provides supervision and companionship for your parent.

Decide On The Type Of Care You Want

Talk to a senior home care service to learn about what they offer. This often depends on the service you work with. They might provide meal preparation, mental stimulation, exercising, grooming, walking, administering medications, basic medical care such as taking vital signs and checking blood glucose, or monitoring your parent's nutrition and water intake.

Some care may be given by trained sitters, certified home health care aids, or nurses depending on the type of medical care your parent needs. More involved care costs more, so you'll need to work out what type of care your parent needs, what you can afford, and what is covered by insurance if any.

Having someone stay with your parent or drop in on them during the day could make life more pleasant for your parent and give you peace of mind too. Caregiving, while you work full time, can be stressful, so getting the help you need is important for your health and your parent's health too.

Contact a care provider to learn more about senior home care. 

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