Services for the Home-bound
It can be very frustrating when you can no longer provide service to your family, such as shopping, paying bills, getting medical services, etc. when disability and/or mobility issues occur. However, with the use of emerging technologies and a growing senior population there are many vendors in the marketplace that now offer services for the home-bound. These services can be vital to the family’s ongoing needs at home.
Here are some vendors or service areas that can help you accomplish your needs. Please note some of these services and offerings might require a technology component such as a smartphone (a phone that can connect to the Internet for data purposes), tablet or computer (laptop or desktop). Other services just require a telephone.
Shopping Services
| Provider | Requires | Notes |
| Safeway Home Delivery | Computer to place and edit your orders | Area: enter your zipcode and see if they deliver in your area Site: www.shop.safeway.com Fees: free on orders over $150, between $6.95 and $12.95 depending on order size and delivery time window What: delivers full line of products Special: Just 4 U program for digital coupons |
| Fred Meyer | Computer to place and edit order Drive to store to pickup order |
Area: enter your zipcode and see if they deliver in your area Site: www.fredmeyer.com Fees: first three order are free; $4.95 on subsequent orders What: delivers full line of products Special: shop online and pickup groceries at designated store |
| Costco | Computer to place and edit order | Area: mostly West Coast – Washington, California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Florida, Georgia Site: www.costco.com Fees: $25 delivery fee on orders less than $250 What: delivers nearly full line of products Special: must have a valid business account for home or business delivery |
| Organic Direct | Computer to place and edit order | Area: deliver to Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, some areas of New Jersey; shipping nationwide Site: http://www.organicdirect.com/ Fees: minimum purchase of $100 in delivery area; starting at $17.98 for deliveries or shipping outside the area What: non-perishable non-GMO organic fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and eco-friendly cleaning products Special: delivery fee charge if not available when driver attempts delivery; 30{820dd39f9853fe36082dc9ad830611643dadfbe63acad0442f9a1db8f5a36292} restocking fee on non-deliverable shipped packages |
| Walmart | Computer to place and edit order | Area: put in your zip-code for delivery area Site: https://grocery.walmart.com/ Fees: $5 to $7 fee for minimum purchase of $30 in delivery area What: delivers full line of products Special: shop online and either pickup groceries at designated store or schedule delivery |
| Amazon Fresh (with Whole Foods Market) |
Computer to place and edit order | Area: put in your zip-code for delivery area; delivery available in select areas Site: https://amazon.com/AmazonFresh Fees: $9 fee for orders under $30; Prime members billed $14.99 per month for membership What: delivers full line of products Special: must be an Amazon Prime member |
Home Delivery Service
There are several meal delivery services online where you can scheduled fully packed meals to be delivered directly to your doorstop. They may not be available in all parts of the country so you will need to check the service and see if they might be a fit for your needs.
| Provider | Provisions | Costs |
| Home Chef |
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| Hello Fresh |
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| Blue Apron |
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| Plated |
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| Chef’d |
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| Peach Dish |
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If you are considering a home delivery meal service you may want to consider reading some reviews on each of the services. Here are a couple you can read for further information:
- Self – The Best Meal-Kit Delivery Services to Try in 2018
- Sweet Phi – I TRIED 6 HOME MEAL DELIVERY SERVICES…HERE IS MY COMPARISON
- Reviewed – The Best Meal Kit Delivery Services of 2018
- Top 10 Meal Delivery – Choose the Best Meal Delivery Plan for You
Legal Services
Legal services no longer need to be conducted and notarized in a professional notary office. Many places offer notary services both in office and at home. Be prepared to pay a visitation fee on top of normal service fees, which may vary depending if the service is rendered during business hours, after business hours and on weekends.
Places to check for mobile notary services:
- credit union
- title company
- local bank
- local senior center
- Professional notary organizations in your area
There is also a new service offering where notaries can use electronic signing of documents with a face to face meeting over a video session. Notarize is one of those new services.
Note: availability varies from community to community as do fees. Perform and Internet search for “mobile notary services
Medical Services
There are several type of services available that can help an “at risk” senior or disabled person get quick medical assistance in the event of accident or a fall when they live alone at home. A family will want to evaluate the effectiveness of using this type of service when the loved one is suffering from Alzheimer’s or other dementia. Family will need to determine if their loved has the capacity to understand how and when to use the system. If the family determines the medical monitoring and alert system is a good fit for their loved one then they will need to decide how they want it to function. Here are some recommendations from AARP (1):
What do you want the system to do?
- Call for help – a wearable device could connect to a live person or emergency service when a button is pressed
- Fall detection – recognize when someone has fallen and auto-alert a service for assistance
- Medication reminders – can the service remind someone to take their medication(s)
- GPS tracking and location service – can locate a loved who may be lost driving or walking away from home
- Home Monitoring – track movements within the home
- Check-in services – check in with live person at established intervals
- Security Monitoring at home – fire, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Equipment Considerations:
- Wearable? – is it safe to wear, free of damaging design, and sized for your loved one?
- Waterproof? – shower or bathing proof and can it survive a drop in a sink of water?
- Range? – how far from the base can the device operate? Is it limited the yard or does it have GPS that can track out into the community? Can it be connected to via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth?
- Device Quality – how durable is it and how often is the technology updated?
- Battery Life – how long does the battery last, can it be replaced and does it alert the wearer of a low battery situation?
- Setup – is the system easy to setup and maintain? What are the electrical and phone service requirements? Backup battery for power outages? Can it operate without a land line?
- Mobility – can it move with your loved one should they change homes?
- Remote Connectivity – can family members can remotely attach to the system using smartphone, tablet or computer?
Response and Monitoring
- Response time – what is the average response time, in seconds – not minutes? Is the service local or outsourced to a third party or perhaps another country? Are staff properly trained and can they speak your loved one’s language? Can your loved one communicate over the portable device or have to be near the base unit?
- Routing – can you specify how you want your loved one’s emergency calls routed – to emergency services versus family members?
- Customer Service – do you always get a live person 24/7? Are there options for live chat, email and website with FAQs?
- CyberSecurity – how does company protect itself from hacking and secure their systems?
Costs
- Fees – thoroughly exam pricing plans for hidden or extra fees. Avoid scams and donated or used equipment. (Listen to gut when something sounds to good to be true.)
- Contracts – avoid long-term contracts. Contracts should be on a month-to-month basis and range from $25-$45 per month. Avoid paying for services months in advance (in case you have trouble with the service). Are you able to stop or suspend the service when a loved one enters the hospital or takes an extended vacation?
- Cancellation policies – do they offer a money-back guarantee, a trial period and any penalties for early termination? Are refunds in full or prorated for unused service?
- Discounts – do they offer discounts for veterans, membership in organizations or medical groups and low income families?
- Insurance – does Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance cover all or part of the expenses? Is a health medical reimbursement plan available to assist in payments?
- Taxes – are any parts of the system tax-deductible?
Availability
- Availability – not all programs are available nationwide. Some programs are state or geographic area located. You can search the web for terms like “medical response systems” or “medical alert systems” to find services in your area. You can also check the Consumer Reports article on service comparisons.
- Check area resources – check with your local senior community center or your local area agency (find them on eldercare.gov on aging for resources or reviews on medical alert programs.
- Assisted Care Facilities – check the care center for availability of these type of systems either available through the facility or privately purchased for your loved one. Try to avoid facilities that use only the pull cord for emergency notifications as falls don’t usually occur near the cord and your loved one will not be able to pull the cord.
- Program Quality – check the credentials of the company, the positive and negative reviews, the Better Business Bureau, consumer reporting agencies, your local Chamber of Commerce and websites to gain a better perspective of the program.
- Referrals – ask other friends and family for a recommendation for (or against) a medical alert system.
Medical Alert Programs Sampling
Still not sure which service to pick? Read the Consumer Reports comparison article on comparing medical alert systems.
References:
(1) AARP – https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2017/medic-alert-systems-options.html
Please let us know if you know of any additional service offerings we should add to this list. Thank you.
To your improved health…
