What is In Home senior Care

What is In home senior care?

In home senior care can be health care and or personal care given in home to prevent or delay moving to a nursing home or assisted living facility. In home care may be used to provide seniors with home health care, non-medical care, errands, companionship and much more.

Types of In Home Senior Care.

In Home Medical Care

There are medical and non-medical services involved in senior home care.  Medical professionals such as registered nurses, LPN’s, physical therapists, nurse’s aides and more administer a wide range of home health care. Everything from administering medication, checking vital signs, changing catheters, dressing wounds, helping with physical therapy and much much more.

In Home Personal or Non-Medical Care

Licensed non-medical home caregivers assist with many duties.  Many of these duties would normally require that the friends and or family of the senior would take time out of their personal schedule to complete. These duties could include such things as

• Toileting assistance
• Helping with walking, getting in and out of wheelchairs, etc
• Preparing and cooking meals
• Meal delivery
• Transportation to medical appointments
• Errands: Errands may include things like
  • Shopping for groceries
  • Shopping for household necessities
  • Picking up prescriptions
  • Assisting with pet or service animal, walking vet appointments
• Home Management:  This might include things like
  • Assisting with finances
  • Paying bills
  • Arranging for repairs/maintenance appointments
• Companionship: Companionship can include many things such as;
  • Playing games with the senior
  • Watching movies
  • Conversation
  • Taking the senior to church or other activities they might enjoy
  • Or even just being there for company and/or security for the senior
  • Light housekeeping
  • Cosmetic assistance
  • Clothing Selection

Why In Home Senior Care?

Because it’s what they want

 The majority of seniors who have been surveyed say that they desire to remain in their homes for as long as possible. Home is familiar, full of personal belongings, and possibly years of wonderful memories.  Home is also where people are usually the most comfortable and relaxed. At home, you get to sleep in your own bed. What’s better than your own bed, right? Many also feel more secure in their own homes. If you move your loved one to an assisted living facility or nursing home they may have to share a room with a stranger. This could be a big source of anxiety for the senior to adjust to living with the habits of someone completely new.  Moving will be a big life change and can be a traumatic experience especially if the senior has lived in the same home for many years and or is used to being independent.

To Maximize Independence

Maximizing independence is another reason for in home senior care. Sometimes the institutional feeling may seem restrictive to the senior who can no longer come and go as they choose, eat when they desire, or go outside on a walk when they want.  The feeling of losing their independence can be a big source of depression for your senior. With in home senior care, the staff can assist in helping the senior continue to do things that make them feel accomplished and independent such as helping the senior walk their dog, as an example.

Cost

Many people often feel as though they cannot afford in home senior care.  However, in home senior care can be significantly cheaper than an inpatient facility. We offer a free initial consultation.

When is it time for In Home Senior Care

In home senior care can be right for a variety of situations from recovering from surgery to full-blown Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. For example;  if your senior has a knee or hip replacement surgery, instead of feeling as if you have no choice but to put them in a nursing home for care, with in home senior care they can go home where nurses, physical therapists, etc may help in the recovery process. Non-medical caregivers can help clean the home, do laundry, run errands, prepare meals, and even drive the senior to medical appointments when the seniors close loved ones are busy with careers and raising their own families. Some people think that when the senior is no longer independent enough to live on their own or without the assistance of the family that it is time to put their senior in an inpatient facility. This is not always the case.  Many in home senior care businesses are equipped and staffed with licensed medical professionals as well as non-medical staff that is trained and thoroughly background checked to assist with even the toughest dementia patients.

Who Can Benefit From In Home Senior Care?

With a home care team working for you and developing a personal care plan, the patient can receive the same or better care at home than they would in a hospital or nursing facility.  When receiving medical home care, statistics show that there is a significant decrease in rehospitalization which results in lower medical costs and lower risk of death. When receiving non-medical home care it can relieve the burden of family members to be able to assign tasks like doctor appointments, preparing meals, house cleaning, and laundry.  One of the biggest benefits of senior home care is the companionship they can receive during the non-medical care. During non-medical care seniors can have a friend to play games, watch TV, or even just talk with them. Another benefit of home care is that it can be significantly less expensive than living in a nursing home or assisted living facility.  In conclusion, both the senior and the loved ones of the senior can benefit from in home senior care.