Home healthcare is fast becoming an established and preferred solution increasingly accepted in most countries especially those with a growing elderly population. Given the choice, most seniors prefer to live out their twilight years for as long as they can in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. They would opt any time to live in their own homes with home care assistance in preference to an assisted living facility which comes with its own set of challenges.
Today with homecare being available a senior no longer has to move to a nursing home when some facets of independent living becomes beyond them. For the elderly and seniors who prefer to remain in their own homes, home care becomes a critical option. There are different types of home care assistance available which cover a range of services from medication management, nursing care to basic assistance with daily living.
Here are 10 benefits of elder home care services:
Quality of Care
Another primary advantage of home care is that a person gets one-on-one attention, something she would not receive as a resident in a hospital or nursing facility. In a nursing facility, a single staff person is often responsible for caring for 10 or more residents.On the other hand, unlike licensed nursing facilities, which are regulated by state and federal law, home care is basically an unregulated industry. If no family members are near to monitor an agency’s staff, individuals who live alone are more vulnerable to potential abuse and neglect by caregivers.
Home Care is Affordable
A professional caregiver not only provides high quality care, they are also extremely affordable as compared to nursing homes. In most cases, keeping your elderly loved ones at home costs considerably less per hour than it would to send them to your local elder care home or traditional sitter. This is even more true when the home care company you choose to take care of your elders have reasonable rates and simple pricing models that do not involve the use of monthly or annual contracts.
Saves precious time
Home care services are time consuming. Frequently it becomes difficult for the caregiver to be able to juggle the time needed. Home care assistance becomes a necessity which enables a family caregiver to spare more time on priorities rather than routine tasks which can be done by a home care specialist trained for that specific job.
Gives Family the Comfort of Home
For many elderly family members the feeling of being at home, where they are comfortable and where they have family and friends surrounding them can promote their recovery. If your parent or relative has been discharged from the hospital recently, the home care option allows them to rehabilitate in the comfort of their own home which research has shown can help older adults heal more quickly.
Professional assistance
Home caregivers are far better able to handle many routine and critical situations because they have the necessary experience and training.
Maintain your old lifestyle
Caregivers can help the elder maintain the lifestyle that he or she was once accustomed to. Its part of a caregiver’s training to sustain the momentum and not let the person in their care slide into diffidence and depression.
Home Care Gives You Piece of Mind
When you bring a caregiver in to take care for your elderly loved one, you are doing more than just ensuring the best type of care for them. You are ensuring them piece of mind for you. In most cases, it is just impossible for you to provide the range and level of care that a loved one needs. With responsibilities such as kids, jobs and a life of their own it can be almost impossible to fully take care of an elder. A full time caregiver gives you the benefit of not giving up on your loved one or being selfish. On the contrary, it makes you selfless to bolster the love and support you give your loved one with the professional, quality care provided by the care giver.
Tranquility
As people age, they generally value peace and quiet over other comforts. Hearing noises from neighbors in a nursing home, or beeps and dings from medical equipment can be bothersome. At home, our clients enjoy the environment that they created and have enjoyed for years.
Dignity
Staying at home often provides our clients with a certain sense of dignity that would be lost if they were to move to a nursing home.
Sources:
http://www.allseasons-homecare.com/June_2013/5_benefits_of_elderly_home_care.php
http://www.balancedhomecare.com/blog/4-Benefits-of-In-Home-Senior-Care_AE7.html
