You might have heard that there are studies indicating that the longer a senior stays within their own homes, the better that their overall physical and emotional health remains. This alone should be enough motivation for you to consider an in-home care service for a loved one that is starting to have difficulty caring for themselves.
Also remember that a lot of this overall better quality of life is because these seniors do not necessarily have a need yet for senior care. Again, this should be a motivator for in-home care. Yes, our loved ones might be experiencing a decline in overall health, and this can be a frightening, stressful thing. But, if steps are taken to help them maintain their independence as much as possible, the emotional and physical toll that is experienced can be reduced. In-home care is one of the most gradual steps that can be taken when it comes to senior care, and if there is not a need for a nursing home or something more intensive than a caregiver coming to visit, it should be one of your first considerations for the reasons listed above.
In-home care has other benefits. This is a service that entails a focus on personal care, like bathing and grooming, preparing meals and ensuring that proper nutrition is obtained, some homemaking duties, like helping with groceries, light cleaning, and paperwork, as well as making sure that safety needs are met. An in-home caregiver may or may not have a medical background, but you should always make sure that they have emergency training, just in case something were to happen. More than this, such as transportation to appointments, can be helpful, but this will vary from service to service. Paradise In-Home Care does provide this, but not everyone does, so ask questions before you decide.
Maybe your loved one doesn’t need all of the things listed above. That’s fine, and it’s to their overall benefit if they don’t. Being able to meet certain needs on their own is a good thing when it comes to physical and mental health. Your goal is to keep their quality of life as good as possible, all while trying to keep your costs down, give them the love and attention that they need, and do what makes them as happy as possible. This is a lot to do, and in-home care can accomplish a lot of this, or even all of them, in many cases.
There are instances when in-home care or home health care is not a realistic solution. When extensive medical care is needed, or constant monitoring is a must, in-home care is not the best solution. These things usually require a nursing home, or at least a highly trained assisted living facility staff that has a nurse on site frequently. These things ultimately need to be decided with the help of a doctor, so be sure to keep your elderly loved one’s physician in the loop when it comes to the decision making process.
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