Flexible senior care is one of the most important things you can do for an elderly loved one, especially if they are in fairly good health. Flexible care is important because of the fact that continuity of care does a lot for the mental health of seniors. Being moved around from place to place also plays a physical toll, especially if a disability is present. Furthermore, if your loved one suffers from dementia, continuity of care has been shown to help keep cognitive functioning from declining quite as rapidly. These are not universally possible goals, but most people should strive for this for their family if at all possible.
In-home care has proven to be one of the most flexible types of care there is, especially when given by a fully trained professional service. In these situations, care can often be as relaxed or as strenuous as it needs to be. For example, you might start with a caregiver being there for four hours a day, but just a few times per week, most of the basics around the house can be taken care of. All of the meals for the week can be prepared during this time, basic house tasks can be accomplished, and companionship is freely given.
Flexible senior care is one of the best ideas, especially if you are just starting your search.
If more hours a week are needed, this is something that can easily be accomplished. 12 hours a week or so isn’t a lot, and it is easy to adjust upward here. Some services will even provide around the clock care, working in shifts so there are no gaps in coverage. But what if some sort of medical equipment is needed? What do you do about flexible care then?
Luckily, many simple things that require equipment can be done within the house. Many caregivers are trained to help read simple things like blood pressure, even if they aren’t nurses. These cannot replace the necessity of going to the doctor when needed, but they can alert your care team that something is out of the ordinary. Obviously not all equipment can be brought into the home, but if you are determined, a lot can. You can even get a hospital bed into your home if you wish. Some insurance providers will even help offset the cost of this equipment so that it is not an overwhelming expense to keep your loved one in the place where they want to age.
All of these things are much easier to accomplish when you work with a caregiving service. This way, there are many caregivers within the staff of the service, and if one caregiver isn’t able to help out to the capacity that is needed, then another will be. If the in-home care service that you use has an affiliation with an assisted living facility, then this situation is even better. Yes, there might be a need to abandon the aging in place mentality and move your loved one into a new location, but this way, you might be able to keep some of the caregivers that assist your family constant so that the situation is more comfortable.
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