By: James Watson

��������� You have been wrestling with the issue for awhile now: you think it is about time your parents could use a little extra help. It is not that they are unhealthy. Rather, your entire life they have inspired you to lead an active lifestyle, they have taught you the love of cooking and food, and all along they have done it with laughter and love. It is really the little things that have triggered this thought. That time you saw your mother catch her step while walking up the stairs in the front foyer and your heart nearly leapt out of your chest. The day you watched your father climb up onto that �long-should-have-been-thrown-out� stepladder to get at the boxes in the rafters of the garage. �You�re not even supposed to use that top step anyways, it says so right on it!� you think to yourself. You worry that something might happen to them, the intense feelings of panic catching you off guard some days. It has become the cause of a whole new dimension of stress in your life. You are almost certain now � your parents could use some extra help.

��������� Where do you begin? It is not easy to know. I explained in my first blog � Myopic Madness (January 15, 2009) � that things can get confusing:

Anyone familiar with the aging business understands that there is an amazing deluge of decisions to be made by any individual requiring service [for care]. Anybody facing such decisions alone would easily feel overwhelmed. Even if that person has a large and motivated family to advocate for them, the overwhelming slew of providers and services would be altogether confusing.

I proceeded to detail the obligation of professional networks to help facilitate somebody’s research, to help them make sense of the system � the tools and services available � and to be able to refer them to the appropriate service provider that is best suited to what they are seeking, what they need or are wishing for. But if you are here asking yourself: �Where do I start?� chances are you are not one of these aforementioned professionals, nor do you personally know one who can advise you. So you feel like you are stuck in limbo, right? Not sure of where or who to turn to. Where do you begin?

��������� The good news is that you have already begun by reading this. You have taken the first step: research. Research within the aging business, the senior care business, can be done in a number of ways. One method is using the internet. Here, only a few clicks away, you have a wealth of information available to you. Yet this can also be the problem. How do you make any sense of the sheer volume and variety of information? How can you tell if an organization is reputable? How can you compare agencies that provide similar services or even identify them? Fortunately, a number of tools have emerged over the past few years that can help you sift through it all. These tools are mostly in the character of online service directories (some are listed for you at the end of this article).

��������� Coming back into the not-so-digital world, we find the more at-hand research resources � literally. Publications such as The Care Guide or Help�s Here are regularly produced hardcopy service directories that provide a visually pleasing and comprehensive presentation of services and products pertaining to seniors� lifestyle and care. If you wish to receive a copy of one of these magazines, contact us at Premier Homecare Services � (416) 510-8848 � and speak to myself or anyone else to request a copy.

��������� I have briefly described internet-based service directories and hard-copy ones too, but when you are serious about finding the right kind of care for a loved-one, those types of information sources may not suffice. That is when speaking to somebody directly counts and can really help to ease your doubts. You can always phone a service provider, a great strategy. You can schedule a time to meet with someone in person to go over the questions you have (Note: They should come meet you where you choose and as soon as you wish them there!). Another strategy is to go where they are. Premier Homecare Services has a dedicated �Events� webpage for each of its locations where local and regional events are posted (Use the “Find�A Location” button to navigate to your local website and then choose the ‘Events‘ tab.�If you are still having trouble, contact us and we help you figure it out). Find one close to you and plan to attend. It may be a health fair at a local community centre or an open house at a new retirement community; a presentation as part of a regular speakers� series or a charity walk on a Sunday afternoon. In any case, there will always be a number of industry professionals there for you to speak to and pick their brains. Any one of us would be more than happy to go out of our way to help you.

��������� Addressing the issues involved in finding care for a loved-one is an inherently complex and involving process, a journey that does not happen overnight. By that effect I will take the journey with you in my future blog articles where I will comment on your decision-making process, the options available to you and the best information sources. For your convenience, each article of this series will begin with the prefix, “Where do I Begin?” Please join me every second Thursday to learn more.

Online Service Directories:
Community Care Resources – http://www.communitycareresources.ca/
Senior Service Directory – http://www.seniorservicedirectory.com/
Premier Homecare Services Community Resources List – http://www.premierhomecareservices.com/seniors_resources.php