It’s always a good idea to refresh yourself with what exactly in-home care is. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, and having a clear definition of what it is, what you should be looking for, and how it will help you, is always a good idea before you get too far into your search.
First, in-home care is care given at home, usually for an elderly person that has trouble meeting their activities of daily living. These have official definitions for insurance purposes, but really what it comes down to is that someone can’t get around well, care for themselves in getting groomed or cleaned, or prepare their own food. A caregiver can help with these things, but this is really only the bare minimum that a good caregiver will do.
Sometimes, people confuse in-home care with home health care. A lot of the time, home health care is needed, and in-home care can complement this quite well, but they are not the same. The difference is that home health care involves a more medically intensive approach. It can involve physical therapy, pain management, medication handling, and even doctor visits. Health care won’t usually meet all of the personal needs, but in-home care will. This is actually a really great alternative to a skilled nursing facility or a nursing home.
This brings up a great side point. In-home care keeps your loved one in the home, and for most people, this is exactly what they want. Seniors tend to want consistency, and staying within their own home is an easy way to achieve this. There’s science to back this up, too. Elderly folk with dementia tend to have their disease progress at a slower rate when they are in a loving and more familiar setting. An abrupt move to a strange place does the opposite of this and can be detrimental to health. Some people need this supervision, but most do not. And if it’s not necessary, there’s no point in doing it. It can be much more expensive, and it can lead to depression. In fact, in-home care services, when not covered by insurance policies, are sometimes less than half of the cost of a nursing home (depending upon what you are looking at and where you live).
So, if you do go with in-home care, what should you be looking at? Look for the basics, for sure, but look beyond those. Anyone can make lunches and help move your elderly loved one around their home, but only the very best caregivers form lasting bonds with the people they care for. A highly trained caregiver goes beyond the bare minimum and creates a meaningful friendship with the person they look after. These things take time to form, of course, but because of the close quarters and constant togetherness, it doesn’t take nearly as long as you might think. This relationship can revitalize your loved one and help them to start looking forward to care rather than dreading it.
In-home care helps you to give your loved one the help they need, but it also helps you to continue doing the things you need to do. It outsources the care, and it is a huge help to your entire family.
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