With advancements in modern medicine, the life expectancy age is increasing and more elderly citizens are able to enjoy rich, full lives with their families, although for many, this involves the incorporation of in home health care. In 2013, 4.9 million patients who received in home care at some point throughout the year. There are a few excellent reasons for this. First, in home care promotes healing; multiple studies have shown that patients recover faster at home. Second, home care assistance is individualized to create custom care solutions that fit the client?s specific needs, taking into account the supplemental care available through family and friends. Last, in home care is more cost effective than nursing homes and other institutionalized settings.
Before choosing a care provider, the best place to start is by assessing your home care needs. This includes the needs of the patient, but also the needs of the familial caregivers. Some families have more time or more medical expertise than others; some may need around the clock help while others may only need daytime care. Here is a brief, commonly used, categorical checklist to help you think through the different areas in which assistance might be required:
Personal Tasks
Consider the patient?s daily needs in regards to bathing, using the toilet, getting dressed, eating, and moving between different locations in the house and outdoor areas.
Household Tasks
Aside from cooking and cleaning, there are lots of other household tasks like laundry and shopping, as well as changing light bulbs and batteries, or hooking up things like TVs or computers.
Health Care
One of the reasons the in home care is needed is due to medical issues. A primary area in which home helpers provide care is medication management. In addition, accompanying the client during medical appointments and physical therapy sessions are part of this sector of tasks.
Social and Emotional Care
There?s a reason you want your loved one at home; it?s better for them to be around family, in a comfortable environment. However, you can?t be there all the time. Providing opportunities for social interaction, and attending to the patient?s emotional needs, are essential to helping seniors remain independent on multiple levels.
Once you?ve completed an assessment of needs, rate them in order of importance, and include notes on what the family can provide, especially in terms of social and emotional care, and household tasks. With this list, and, of course, knowledge of one?s financial capabilities, it?s time to consider home care assistance. There are a range of choices in the type of in home care or senior care options to choose from, each with its own benefits.
Home health care and home care services are slightly different things. Home health care tends to be more medical in nature, focused on immediate recovery, medication management, and therapy. Home care offers a broader range of services, including household tasks.
No matter what you choose, even if it is a combination of services, use caution and prudence in choosing the people who will be assisting your loved one. Spend time with the prospective aide, getting to know their personality and discussing what will be involved in the care. In addition, look into the home care assistance company, checking references and reviews, and asking questions regarding their experience, expertise, and care plans. There is nothing quite as important as quality care for your loved ones, and finding excellent in home care is a part of that for many of us.
