With your busy schedule, it can be difficult to find time to take that senior loved one in your life to their health care appointments, or check up on them frequently. And for them, leaving the house regularly for health care appointments can be a source of stress and even embarrassment. Not to mention the fact that, while they wait at home, it can get lonesome.
A better alternative for everyone is to look into home health care. Not only does it allow the senior loved one in your life to “age in place”, but it provides them with some much needed support and attention. In particular if the senior in your life is recovering from an injury or surgery, or if they are suffering from dementia, visiting resources can be fruitful for both the senior and their family. In this post, let’s discover the benefits of home health care by looking at it from five different vantage points: safety, independence, comfort, health and human connection.
The Feeling of Safety
The fear of falling while home alone, or of having a medical emergency, can engender a lot of stress for seniors. Home health care professionals can help mitigate this stress through their presence, but also by making the home more accessible. They can remove tripping hazards, ensure clear and safe pathways between rooms, and, in collaboration with the Client, rearrange the home to better facilitate easy access to daily necessities.
A Sense of Independence
Home health care is often used as an alternative to hospitalization or senior care home. Many seniors prefer to stay where they are, and continue to live their life the way they used to, albeit with some helping hands on deck. Being able to still live in one’s home, following familiar routines, leads to an uplifting sense of independence.
The Comfort of Your Own Home
Often, the last thing a senior wants, when they become ill or otherwise incapable of taking proper care of themselves, is to be taken to a strange place. Certain illnesses are stressful enough without the added stress of uprooting one’s life. Many seniors, therefore, prefer home disability services as it allows them to receive care from the comfort of their own home.
Help with Diet and Nutrition
An in-home caregiver can also help with diet and nutrition, helping cook nutritious meals and create effective diets for strength and energy. Far better than zapping frozen dinners, but just as easy, cooking with an in-home caregiver can also be fun and rewarding.
A Human Connection
Let’s not overlook that many seniors who live alone often feel lonely. Human connection is a basic need, and without it life can be depressing and anxious. In-home caregivers provide a welcome, routine presence in the lives of seniors, chatting with them and participating in activities. For many, that daily knock on the door when the caregiver arrives is a highlight of the day.
If you think that beloved senior in your life might enjoy one, or more, of the above benefits, have the conversation with them. Aging in one’s own home has numerous benefits, and should always be an option you explore with your loved ones.