This home care shift begins at 7 a.m. with the arrival of one caregiver and ends at 7 p.m. when another family member takes over the care of your loved one with notes documenting what your loved one ate, when they had their rest, and so much more, including the fact that today she refused her afternoon walk due to her sore knee and repeatedly inquired regarding the health and whereabouts of her sister.
12-hour care usually consists of: Personal care (bathing, dressing, toileting), all meals for client, all medication reminders for client, mobility and fall prevention, light housekeeping and laundry, errands and/or transport to doctor’s appointments and other locations as scheduled by family member, companionship with awake caregiver for entire 12-hour shift. 12-hour care can be scheduled as a day shift or as an overnight shift.
12-Hour VS. Hourly VS. 24 Hour Care: What are the Differences?
Most families end up choosing between hourly care, 12 hour care and 24 hour care. There are a number of differences that are important to families when deciding on the best care for their loved one, including how much of the day is going to be covered by caregivers, and how many there will be.
| Care Comparison | Hourly Care | 12-Hour Care | 24-Hour Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical Length | 2 to 6 hours per visit (many agencies have a 3- or 4-hour minimum) | One 12-hour block, during the day or overnight | Around-the-clock care |
| Caregivers Per Day | Usually one caregiver | One caregiver per shift | Two or three caregivers working shifts, or one live-in caregiver |
| Is the Caregiver Awake the Entire Time? | Yes | Yes | Yes with shift-based care. Live-in caregivers have scheduled sleep breaks. |
| Built Around | Specific tasks, such as bathing, meal preparation, or medication reminders | A full part of the day, from waking up through dinner or bedtime through breakfast | Continuous supervision and assistance throughout the day and night |
| Best For | Seniors who are mostly independent but need help with a few daily activities | Seniors who cannot safely be alone for long stretches, with family or other support covering the remaining hours | Seniors who need ongoing supervision and cannot safely be left alone |
In short, hourly care is task-based, 24-hour care is supervision-based and 12-hour care is coverage-based. So, 12-hour care covers a full day for you so you don’t have to worry about the hours in between.
What a 12-Hour Day Shift Looks Like
Here is an example of what a typical care shift for a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift might look like. Keep in mind, however, that each care plan is unique to the needs of the care recipient.
- 7:00 a.m. Start of care – The caregiver helps your loved one get out of bed safely, use the bathroom, wash up or shower, and get dressed. This is when most falls happen at home, so a steady arm here matters. Morning medication reminders go along with breakfast.
- 9:00 a.m. to noon. Light exercise or a short walk if the care plan allows it. Doctor’s appointments, pharmacy runs, or a trip to the grocery store often land here. If your loved one stays home, this might be time for a puzzle, a phone call to a grandchild, or folding laundry together
- 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. — Many people with dementia experience increased anxiety in the late afternoon. For individuals that have had a good day, there are activities to complete in order to help maintain their calm state. Later in the day there is the possibility of them becoming agitated which can be controlled with calm activities such as music, snacks, etc. It is also important to keep the lights on in order to help keep them calm as well.
- 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Dinner prep and dinner, evening medication, and bath time for the night. The caregiver helps client get ready for bed, including changing into pajamas and washing up. Family arrives to take over caregiver’s duties for the night. The shift ends with a handoff to family, often with written notes.
What a 12-Hour Overnight Shift Looks Like
The overnight shift is often scheduled from 7pm – 7am (or 8pm – 8am) and require a very special caregiver as they are awake all night. You will not have a home care worker sleep on your couch all night waiting for a call.
Overnight care usually includes:
- Getting the client ready for bed (dinner cleanup etc.), Bedtime routine (client ready for bed), Client needs to go to bathroom during the night, restroom use, Incontinence care & linen change as required.
- Assist client to bathroom at night for possible falls
- Incontinence care and changing bedding if needed
- Turning the client every 2 hours (or as needed) in order to prevent pressure sores if the client is bed bound.
- Supervising the individual with dementia who is wandering, seeking to exit the home, or showing signs of confusion and redirecting them to a safe activity.
- Breakfast preparation and morning care prior to family arrival.
Many families rely on one overnight shift of care to save them from exhaustion. A daughter who is up four times a night to take her 82 year old father to the bathroom can not continue to do this for months and still hold down a job. Her father’s care is taken care of by one good overnight caregiver who allows her to get some much needed rest.
Tasks Included in Most 12-Hour Shifts
Whether it’s day or night, the care plan pulls from the same list. Here’s what’s generally covered by non-medical home care:
- Personal care: Bathing, showering, hair care, oral care, grooming, dressing, toileting and managing incontinence.
- Meals and nutrition: Planning for the care recipient’s meals and snacks, preparation of their meals, serving and Ensuring the care recipient is consuming adequate fluids to meet their daily needs (typically 2-3 meals per 12 hour shift).
- Medication reminders: Caregivers remind your loved one to take medications on schedule. Whether they can physically administer medication depends on your state’s rules and the agency’s license, so ask about this upfront.
- Mobility and safety: Assisting a client to move from one place to another including transfer from bed to chair. Keeping paths clear of clutter to prevent accidents.
- Light housekeeping: This includes such tasks as cleaning up after meals (washing dishes, putting away food and utensils, etc.), laundry services (washes, dries, and folds clothing), changing bed linen, and cleaning the bathroom (such as wiping down surfaces, etc.). Note that these caregivers do not perform deep cleaning or other such ‘extremely physically taxing’ tasks.
- Transportation to appointments, to the pharmacy, to the store for groceries, to church, to a senior center or even to go out to lunch with friends and family.
- Companionship: This can include playing card games and other activities that the senior enjoyed in the past. This can also include reviewing old photo albums, watching sports games and other programs of interest to the senior.
- Communication with family: Shift reports, phone calls and texts to family members on changes to senior’s behavior, eating habits, mood, etc.
What a 12-Hour Shift Doesn’t Include
We provide non-skilled care and therefore do not perform services such as wound care, giving of injections, IV management and catheter changes. Home health care agencies provide these types of services and are usually ordered by a physician and covered by Medicare for a certain amount of time. Many families use home health for the clinical portion of care and then use private home care for the remaining 12 hours of care per day.
When hiring caregivers for 12 hour shifts, there are also meal breaks scheduled for the caregivers to ensure that your loved one is always safe and cared for.
Why 12 Hours Works When Hourly Care Stops Working
Hourly care is wonderful when all needs are very predictable like for a shower and breakfast in the morning. 3 hours in the morning is enough for a shower and breakfast and for three hours in the afternoon for dinner and for evening routine. But there are many hours in between and much can happen between visits.
The signs that hourly visits aren’t enough anymore usually look like this:
- Meals left in the fridge aren’t getting eaten
- You’re finding evidence of falls (bruises, a moved chair, a story that doesn’t add up)
- Medications are being skipped or doubled
- Your loved one is calling you at work confused or anxious
- You’re adding more and more visits, and the visit times are starting to touch
Two 4-hour shifts a day can actually cost as much as one 12-hour shift of care. The worst part is that you’ll have less care and less continuity with your loved one’s caregivers, and have to deal with a new face arriving at your home for each shift of care.
Why 12 Hours Is Sometimes Enough Instead of 24
When you need home care but you are not ready for 24 hour a day care, 12 hours a day can be a good alternative to hourly care.
However, if a family member is living with your loved one, such as a spouse or adult child, then 12 hour home care can cover half of the day and you can handle the other half of the day. For example, a working wife can have her loved one covered 7am-7pm and then wife can cover the evenings. A son who is exhausted from not getting any good sleep at night can have his loved one covered 12 hours a day during the day and then have overnight care. 12 hour care is about half the cost of 24 hour care and allows family members to be involved in care giving.
This type of care is frequently utilized for several months following a patient’s discharge from a hospital or rehabilitation facility. For example, a patient may require care by day for several months following a stroke and then gradually decrease to just hourly home care at night as he or she recovers.
Questions to Ask Before You Book a 12-Hour Shift
- Are caregivers awake for the full shift, including overnight?
- How many caregivers will rotate, and can we meet them first?
- How do caregivers handle breaks?
- What does the shift handoff look like, and will we get written notes?
- Can caregivers help with medications, or only remind?
- How fast can we change the schedule if needs go up or down?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the caregiver sleep during a 12-hour overnight shift?
No. On a 12-hour overnight shift the caregiver is expected to be awake the entire time and is not expected to fall asleep. Sleep is expected to be taken by live-in caregivers in scheduled breaks for rest and meals.
Is 12-hour care the same as live-in care?
No, a 12-hour shift of home care is 1 awake caregiver for 12 hours of the day (half the day). Live-in care means 1 caregiver is present 24 hours a day in the client’s home and has scheduled sleep and meal time.
Can I schedule 12-hour care only on certain days?
Yes. Many families need to have 12-hour shifts of care only a few days a week. For example, they may have a family caregiver who is available to care for their loved one only on certain days of the week. Assisting Hands can then provide hourly care on the other days of the week as needed.
Is 12-hour care good for someone with dementia?
Yes. Long shifts of time with one caregiver provide consistency and routine which are generally considered to be in the best interest of individuals with dementia. Overnight shifts are particularly suited to individuals with dementia who are prone to wandering or have confusion at night.
Can 12-hour care help after a hospital discharge?
Yes. Often used for the first few weeks after discharge from a hospital for surgeries, strokes, and more. Later the care can be decreased as the client recovers.
Talk to Us About a 12-Hour Schedule in Naperville, Lisle, Wheaton & Nearby Areas
If you have loved ones who need care during the day or at night, and you’re trying to stretch out the hours between your current home care visits, a 12 hour shift of home care may be just what you need. At Assisting Hands Home Care Naperville, we can create a schedule of home care around your existing family members’ and loved ones’ daily routines. That schedule can be changed as needed as well. Contact us for a free in-home care consultation or call us 24/7 at (630) 634-9316
