One of the toughest parts of dealing with a loved one receiving some sort of long term care is when end of life care becomes a necessity. In-home care is one solution that makes the transition very easy, though, and if continuity of care is a concern for you and your loved one, then this should be a big consideration. There are a few reasons why this is, and we will go over a couple of them briefly so that you can get a sense of what things to consider.
First, familiarity gives a sense of comfort that you cannot replicate in a hospital or any other sort of institution. People tend to be happier at home rather than in an unfamiliar and unwanted place. This is what happens so often to people placed in nursing homes. A lot of times, they have medical reasons to be there, but that doesn’t mean that they want to be there. Spending the last weeks or days of your life in a place that you love being and where people truly love you is much more comforting than being in a sterile and strange spot. Dementia issues also can have an effect here. If your loved one has any sort of dementia, studies have shown that they will function better cognitively if they are in a spot that they have known for a while before dementia set in. For these reasons, it is not only better for them to be at home for their mood, but for their mental functioning, too.
The second reason why in-home care can be superior to other types of care is that it is easier. There’s no relocation. No hassle finding a nursing home or hospital with an open bed. No struggle filling out the paperwork for insurance to cover hospice care. It’s in the home, it can be paid for with many insurance policies, but if you need to pay for in-home care out of pocket, it is very affordable. Eliminating the struggle of coordinating elaborate care can save you a lot of extra stress during an already stressful time in your life. The good news is that you don’t have to sacrifice any sort of quality in the care that your elderly loved one will be getting. In-home caregivers can be just as talented at what they do as a hospital orderly or nurse would be, if not more so. In-home caregivers, when acquired through a professional quality service, are highly trained for these situations and may have a higher degree of specialization in end of life care than other types of caregivers.
Neither of these factors take into account the fact that oftentimes, people simply want to spend their last days where they have lived their whole lives. If this is the case with your family, you should make every effort to make it happen as long as it is medically feasible. Depending upon your personal needs and situation, you should evaluate whether or not in-home care is realistic, and if it is, and it’s a priority for you, focus on making it happen.
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