Solmira
Non-medical. Appointments attended, errands run, vendors coordinated, family kept informed. Private pay. No hands-on care and no clinical judgment.
Resources
Straight answers for families figuring this out.
Most of what follows costs nothing and has nothing to do with hiring us. It is the guidance we end up giving on the phone anyway.
Who to call for what
Families often start by calling the wrong kind of provider, then conclude nothing fits. These are four different services with four different rules.
Personal care aides
Hands-on help with bathing, dressing and daily living at home. Usually private pay or long-term care insurance. Ohio-regulated.
Skilled clinical care at home
Nursing, physical or occupational therapy ordered by a physician. Often covered by Medicare when criteria are met.
Geriatric care managers
Professional assessment and a written care plan, then oversight of the providers delivering it. Private pay.
Going to a specialist appointment
The single highest-value thing anyone can do is walk in with these written down and walk out with the answers written down.
Bring with you
- A current medication list, including over-the-counter items and supplements
- The three questions that matter most, in priority order
- What has actually changed since the last visit, with rough dates
- The name and contact details of every other provider involved
- Any device, reading log or symptom diary in use at home
Ask these
- What is the working diagnosis, in plain language?
- What are we watching for, and what would mean call you sooner?
- What changed on the medication list today, and what should stop?
- What is the next step, who schedules it, and by when?
- Who do we call after hours — this office, or somewhere else?
Coming home from the hospital
The two weeks after discharge are where most preventable setbacks happen. A short checklist covers most of it.
Medications reconciled
Compare the discharge list against everything already in the house. Old bottles of a stopped medication are the most common problem.
Follow-ups on the calendar
Every appointment named in the discharge paperwork, booked and written down — not left as an intention.
The path cleared
Walkways free of rugs and cords, a light within reach of the bed, and the phone where it can actually be picked up.
Food and supplies in
Groceries that match any new dietary instruction, plus whatever equipment was recommended and never ordered.
One written summary
What happened, what changed, and who is doing what — shared with every family member, so no one is working from a different version.
A named point of contact
One person, family or professional, who owns the follow-through. Shared responsibility is how items get dropped.
Talking to a parent who does not want help
Nearly every family we speak to has had this conversation go badly at least once.
Lead with the logistics, not the decline
"I want transportation arranged and some help with the paperwork" lands very differently from "you are not managing."
Make it about your own load
Many parents will accept help framed as relief for an adult child long before they accept it framed as help for themselves.
Start small and time-limited
One appointment, or one month. Agreeing to a trial is much easier than agreeing to a change in identity.
Where to look locally
Organizations Columbus-area families are most often pointed toward. We are not affiliated with any of them, and listing one is not a recommendation — confirm current programs and contact details directly with each organization.
Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging
The regional agency on aging serving Franklin and surrounding counties; the usual starting point for public benefit programs and in-home service referrals.
Franklin County Office on Aging
County-level programs and services for older residents of Franklin County.
Ohio Department of Aging
Statewide programs, the long-term care ombudsman, and consumer information about Ohio provider types.
Alzheimer's Association — Central Ohio
Education, support groups and a 24/7 national helpline for families managing dementia.
Ohio Attorney General — Consumer Protection
Where to check on, or report, a provider or contractor before money changes hands.
Your parent's health system
Most Columbus hospital systems have social workers and patient navigators available at no cost to established patients — ask discharge planning directly.
Still not sure what you need?
The complimentary 15-minute call is genuinely a conversation, not a sales pitch. If what your family needs is a home health referral rather than a concierge, we will tell you that on the call.