MyGericare

Determine Senior Care Level

Determine Care Level with our GeriCare Helper

Our interactive tool helps you determine the type of care needed, either in or out of your loved one's home.
It takes just minutes to select only ONE answer that best describes each of these 9 categories for senior care. Once you've completed choosing your descriptions, click "Submit" to review our recommendations:

1. Housekeeping
  • 100% independent in cleaning and laundry, vacuuming, making the bed.   1 points
  • Requires some help with heavy housekeeping, laundry, changing bedding, vacuuming.   2 points
  • Needs housekeeping and laundry services provided for them.   3 points
2. Mobility
  • Able to move about 100% independently. Able to find and follow directions. Able to get themselves out of the house independently in case of emergency.   1 points
  • Able to move with a cane or a walker. Independent with a wheelchair, but would need help evacuating in an emergency.   2 points
  • Requires occasional help to move about, but is usually independent.   3 points
  • Mobile, but may need help due to poor vision, confusion, weakness or poor motivation.   4 points
  • May need help when transferring from bed, toilet or chair.   5 points
  • Requires transfer and transportation help. Needs to be turned in bed and in wheelchair.   6 points
3. Dressing
  • 100% independent and dresses themselves appropriately.   1 points
  • Requires some assistance with buttons, zippers, shoelaces, medical appliances or garments, or may need reminders, motivation or help getting started.   4 points
  • Dependent on others for dressing.   5 points
4. Hygiene
  • 100% independent in all personal care, including bathing, shaving and dressing.   1 points
  • Needs some help with bathing or hygiene, or starting these tasks, or being reminded about bathing or hygiene.   4 points
  • Dependent on others for most or all personal hygiene tasks.   6 points
5. Toileting
  • 100% independent and completely continent, always able to control going to the bathroom.   1 points
  • May have incontinence, a colostomy, or catheter but is 100% independent in caring for self through proper use of supplies.   2 points
  • Occasionally may have problems with incontinence, colostomy or catheter care, or may need assistance in caring for self through proper use of supplies.   4 points
  • May be unwilling or unable to manage own incontinence through proper use of supplies or may need physical help with toileting on a regular basis.   5 points
  • Regularly and uncontrollably incontinent, dependent or unable to communicate when they need to go to the bathroom. 6 points
6. Nutrition
  • Prepares own meals, eats meals without help. 1 points
  • Can do some meal preparation, but needs main meal prepared daily. 3 points
  • Needs all meals prepared and served.   4 points
  • May require help getting to meals and/or help when eating, such as opening cartons or cutting food.   5 points
  • Mostly or 100% depends on others for nourishment, including being reminded to eat and/or assistance when eating.   6 points
7. Medications
  • 100% able to take all medications themselves.   1 points
  • Able to self-administer medications, but others may need to remind & monitor actual process.   2 points
  • Family or Home Health Agency has arranged a medication administration system with reminders and family members or others monitoring.   4 points
  • Cannot self-administer medications even with supervision. Medications need to be administered by a licensed person.   6 points
8. Behavior
  • Deals and reacts appropriately with emotions and stress, and interacts appropriately with others.   1 points
  • May need periodic intervention from others to help them express feelings in order to cope with stress. May require periodic intervention from others to resolve conflicts.   3 points
  • May require regular intervention from others to help them express feelings and deal with periodic outbursts of anxiety or agitation.   5 points
  • Great intervention is required to manage behavior. May pose a physical danger to self or to others, or is verbally or physically abusive or unacceptably uncooperative.   6 points
9. Mentality
  • 100% aware of self, people, place and time. Memory is intact but may have occasional forgetfulness with no pattern of memory loss. Able to reason, plan and organize daily events. Has mental capacity to identify environmental needs and meet them.   1 points
  • May require occasional direction or guidance in getting from place to place, or may have difficulty with occasional confusion that may result in anxiety, social withdrawal or depression. Awareness of time, place or person may be minimally impaired.   3 points
  • Judgment may be poor. May not try to do task that are not within capabilities. May require strong orientation assistance and reminders.   5 points
  • Disoriented to time, place and person, or memory is severely impaired. Usually unable to follow directions.   6 points