If the last few months have taught us anything, it is that there are different ways of going about our daily lives and meet our needs. In some ways, these things are for the better. A lot of businesses are finding that they can forego, or at least shorten, a lot of the meetings that they were having. In turn, this is allowing employees to be more productive. An agency I am acquainted with was looking to expand their office area or even purchase a new building so that more employees could be present on-site at any given time. Because of work from home requirements, this agency has found that a lot of their employees are able to do their jobs from home just as effectively, making the need for a costly new building a moot point. It has helped to save this company hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Our lives have changed and we have found new ways to meet a lot of our needs. But does that mean that these new ways are always going to be better? Absolutely not. Some things are done the way that they are because they have proven to be so effective over time. And when it comes to senior care, this is certainly the case.
Now, that’s not to say that there is no room for improvement in the world of senior care. That is far from the truth. We have actually seen a lot of things get better for the elderly when it comes to how they are treated. A few of these things include better screening for the health of those that work directly with seniors, improvements in telehealth to help avoid needless travel to and from checkups, and better remote communication. All of these things were developing when the coronavirus took hold of our country, but we have found ways to make these things more effective and realistic for larger numbers of people because of the pandemic.
But what we haven’t seen is a new way to replace human contact. And there’s no chance that we will see this; it’s not possible! No amount of Zoom chats will replace the feel of a loved one’s hand on your shoulder. A robot cannot replace the presence of another person. And one of the things that seniors desperately need is human contact.
That’s why in-home care is so important to us. In-home care ensures that seniors are connected with others and are not left behind. Perhaps the biggest appeal that in-home care has isn’t the care that is given–after all, really good assisted living facilities and even nursing homes can provide most of the same services that in-home care can. No, the thing that sets in-home care apart is that customized, one on one care is given. No other type of care can accomplish this in the same way because in-home care is the only care that has one caregiver for every one person receiving assistance.
In-home care also provides companionship. Nothing else can do this in the same way. Caregivers aren’t just there to help, they also are a friend.
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