How Compassionate Home Care Can Help Your Loved One Live Their Best Life

Most people want to grow older in the comfort of their homes, but many need extra support to be able to do so. “They want to be at home around their things, in their castle,” said Lori Yount, vice president of operations for CareBuilders at Home. “The benefit of home health care is that we enable people to stay at home and age in place independently for as long as they want.”

In fact, research suggests nearly 90% of people over 65 want to age in place or live at home for as long as possible. But to make it happen, additional care is often necessary, which is why some families turn to home health care services. If you’d like to know more about the benefits of home care, the following information will help you and your family make the right choice.

How To Determine If Your Loved One Needs Additional Support

If your parent is struggling to live independently or needs a companion to keep them engaged, home care can be a lifeline for your family. You may notice that they are having difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL). Activities of daily living include the ability to move around, feeding themselves, dressing, personal hygiene, and toileting.

The instrumental ADLs are those that require more complex thinking skills, including organizational skills. Read the checklist below and make note of how your loved one is handling these the following tasks:

• Transportation and shopping: Ability to procure groceries and attend events.
• Managing transportation, either via driving or by organizing other means of transport.
• Managing finances: This includes the ability to pay bills and manage financial assets.
• Shopping and meal preparation, such as everything required to get a meal on the table. It also covers shopping for clothing and other items required for daily life.
• House-cleaning and home maintenance. Cleaning kitchens after eating, maintaining living areas reasonably clean and tidy, and keeping up with home maintenance.
• Managing communication with others: The ability to manage a telephone and mail.
• Managing medications: Ability to obtain medications and take them as directed.

If you’re still not sure whether your parent needs additional care, we suggest you ask the following questions:

• If the phone rings, does the senior hear it and answer in a timely fashion?
• Do they store food safely and toss it when it’s no longer edible?
• Do they clean up after meals, including washing dishes and putting them away?
• Is your family member attending social and family activities?
• Are they able to do their own laundry?

Benefits Of Home Care For Seniors

There are two types of home health care services: skilled nursing care, and personal or companionship care. Skilled care is designed to assist your loved ones with their most advanced medical needs, including recovery from illness, injury or surgery. Companionship care focuses on helping your loved one with the activities of daily living. Experienced caregivers will work with you and your loved one’s physician to create and implement a safe, supportive care plan in the comfort of your loved one’s home.

Here are some of the main benefits of obtaining home health care for your senior family member or loved one. Home care decreases medical costs, helps to improve health outcomes, and reduces hospital stays.

It also helps your loved one to:

• Regain their independence to become as self-sufficient as possible
• Maintain a current condition or level of function
• Slow physical decline with physical and occupational therapy
• Manage their medication
• Help reduce hospital readmissions (especially from falls)
• Have respite care (a break for your usual caregiver)

How Personal And Companion Care Help Your Loved One Live Their Best Life

As a caregiver of an aging person who needs extra help, you want the best for your loved one. You want them to be able to age in place and enjoy all aspects of their daily life. Personal and companion care help keep your loved ones safe as they complete their daily tasks. Having a companion caregiver can also help retain cognitive abilities through regular interaction and activity. Home health care also reduces loneliness among seniors, which can improve their mental and physical health. But that’s not all. Companionship care also helps with the following:

• Relieves your stress and worry as a caregiver
• Ensures your loved one’s safety and emotional well-being
• Protects your loved one’s dignity
• Gives you and your loved one a trusted partner to help you through sensitive challenges

How To Provide Your Loved One With The Best Care

As you research the many options for home care services, you first want to determine what types of care your senior needs. Do they need more advanced medical care or do they need help with their activities of daily living? You also want to look for an experienced team of nurses and care management specialists that focuses on providing quality care and support to patients and their families.

Lean on Dee Senior Home Care Services is a residential service agency that focuses on providing your loved one with friendly and compassionate care services. Lean on Dee builds strong relationships and a consistent, comforting routine with your loved ones, which helps to improve function and create a trusting bond. If you have any questions about how Lean on Dee Senior Home Care Services can help you, reach out today at www.leanondee.com/contact.