Noticing that one of your elderly relatives is gradually losing his or her independence ? Yet you know it would be difficult for him/her to replace the comforts of home ? Hopefully, a number of valuable options may be available. Thanks to the wide range of home care services for seniors, good solutions do exist to ensure the well-being of seniors without having to leave the convenience of home.
Let’s therefore discover more in this comprehensive overview on the various types of home support, their benefits, as well as precious advice to help you choose the best care services available.
Which types of home services are actually available for seniors ?
There is no need to be in complete loss of autonomy to benefit from home care services. In fact, these services are intended for a very wide range of seniors, with the objective of preserving personal independence for as long as possible !
1. Assistance with daily tasks
From housekeeping tasks to support in everyday life, assistance with daily tasks proves to be a useful service for a great majority of seniors at home. Indeed, even healthy and autonomous seniors can benefit from a break from the most demanding tasks, allowing them to focus on their favorite activities and enjoy life to its fullest.
Some typical examples may include help with meal preparation or planning, transportation services, interior and exterior housekeeping, laundry, and much more, according to each individual’s needs.
2. Personal care services
Several reasons may motivate the need for personal assistance services for seniors living at home : physical injury, rehabilitation following surgery, deterioration of a health problem, loss of functional autonomy, and many more. In all cases, such services are tailored to the specific needs of each elderly person, aiming to optimize their independence and well-being.
Assistance with eating, mobility and transportation, and bathing / personal hygiene are all good examples. Thanks to respectful, compassionate care, seniors can be assured of receiving the help they need, while maintaining the utmost level of autonomy from the comfort of their own homes.
3. Home medical care
Combining in-home nursing care, post-operative follow-ups and specialized care for seniors who suffer from Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, or other neurodegenerative disorders, these services are designed to ensure that seniors living at home can receive the appropriate medical care at home, whenever possible. Provided by healthcare professionals, those treatments are also carried out in collaboration with family physicians and other medical teams.
Home support : the advantages of aging in place
For many seniors, aging at home represents the ideal solution. Although this is not always possible, and while each case is unique, there are indeed many potential benefits associated with staying at home after retirement.
Here are just a few of those advantages :
- Preserve maximum independence for the elderly population ;
- Allow seniors to remain in the reassuring comfort of their own homes ;
- Preserve the positive aspects of living in a familiar environment (neighborhood, proximity to family and friends, local services, etc.) ;
- Avoid the stress of having to adapt to a new environment ;
- Benefit from personalized care at home, when needed.
** Did you know that a series of financial assistance programs are available to seniors and family caregivers ? Learn more about these interesting government grants !
Choosing the right home care service for your elderly relative : 5 helpful advices
Recognizing that home care could be the right solution for an elderly loved one, but feeling that the range of options is kind of overwhelming ?
Here are 5 key guidelines that may help you make the most informed decision.
1. Discuss with your relative in advance
In the best of circumstances, it is highly recommended to take the necessary time to sit down with your elderly loved one and discuss his or her preferences and expectations for the future. Although it may represent a sensitive subject to broach, such discussion will help identify an approach that best respects your relative’s actual choice.
In order to do so, we strongly suggest that such discussions be initiated as early as possible. By adopting a preventive approach, risks of being unexpectedly overwhelmed in the event of a rapid deterioration in the person’s health can be avoided. During such exchanges with your elderly relative, simply ensure that you listen attentively and with compassion to any questions or fears your loved one may have.
Be confident in yourself, since you probably know your parent or relative better than most. However, you should also recognize your own limitations, and seek help, advice and support as needed.
Feeling concerned about this situation ? Discover these 3 additional tips for discussing the future with your elderly relatives.
2. Keeping alert to any changes
Noticing changes in the daily routine of one of your parents ? Memory sometimes fails, and carrying out some daily tasks seems more difficult ? While these signs vary greatly from one person to another, keeping an eye out for observable changes in your relative’s day-to-day activities is the best way to detect the emergence of the first needs of home assistance services.
3. Assessing the extent of the needs
Choosing the most appropriate homecare services requires a good understanding of the person’s needs. In some cases, your relative may be able to help pinpoint some of them on his or her own, as they may be aware of the changes they are going through.
In other instances, however, it can be more challenging. Here are some questions to help guide your observations :
- Does the person’s autonomy seem to be compromised ?
- Have you noticed the appearance of any new health issues ?
- Any difficulties in moving around from one place to another ?
- Have you noted any particular restrictions or limitations ?
4. Recognizing his own limits as caregivers
Wishing to provide help to loved ones is a natural and human reaction. With their presence and love, family caregivers are making a real difference, day after day, in the lives of many seniors. However, an actual challenge remains : keeping a healthy life balance, while being able to adequately recognize and respect one’s own limits.
Thankfully, resources are available to support family caregivers. Be sure to actually benefit from them whenever you may feel it necessary.
5. Taking advantage of professional home care services
To accompany and support you throughout this process, professional caregivers are committed to always offer precious help, both to seniors themselves as well as their families.
Much more than a simple profession, being a professional caregiver is a real vocation ! Through their expertise, experience, and dedication, they provide quality care and services, ensuring that your elderly loved one continues to evolve in a comfortable and safe environment at home. Their reassuring presence really makes a difference in the lives of homebound seniors and families.
Taking all these different points together, and understanding the extent of their advantages, you can better appreciate how home care for seniors represents a beneficial solution for many. Whether in the form of domestic help, assistance with personal care or home medical care, these services help thousands of seniors across the country every day.
