Home care in Bay Head

Ocean County's Office of Senior Services serves older residents across the county, including Bay Head, and its services are free. It reports serving over 21,000 seniors a year. Its volunteers do minor home repairs such as installing grab bars, setting up smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and building ramps. It also has certified SHIP counselors for Medicare questions and information on property tax relief programs.

For medical appointments, Ocean Ride's Reserve-A-Ride gives seniors 60 and over door-to-door rides, mostly within Ocean County. Trips are booked by phone from 8:15am to 4:15pm, up to four weeks ahead, and the driver arrives within an hour to an hour and a half of the scheduled appointment time. Drivers can't come into the house, so the rider waits at ground level, and the fare is $6 round trip. A caregiver can get your father ready, wait with him, stay through the visit and see him back inside.

Bay Head Express, the Ocean County Library's branch, is on the second floor of Bay Head Town Hall at 83 Bridge Avenue, open Monday through Friday from 9 to 4. It handles drop off and pick up of materials, issues and renews library cards, and keeps a small collection of books, DVDs, audio books and Playaways for immediate checkout.

For a parent who can't get out, the library's free Home Borrowers Service sends trained volunteers, usually every three weeks, to residents who are homebound because of illness or disability, with a physician's verification form. Books by Mail is another free option. The county's Home Delivered Meals are there for homebound residents who can't prepare their own. A caregiver fits around all of it, with the company, the cooking and the daily help in between.