Knowing the Facts About In-Home Aged Care Services

For household facilities, seniors who are strong enough to live on their own but are unable to carry out certain domestic duties may be required. Many elderly people tend to stay as long as possible in a familiar environment because they value their freedom, as most of us do. Therefore, the concept of Age Care is much better for them than in nursing homes. With some assistance from a home care provider, a senior citizen can easily be kept in good condition to ensure that his dignity and independence are maintained.
The cost of home aged care also often falls short of the cost of full-time nursing homes. That’s why it is not appropriate, particularly if your older parents aren’t sick enough, to transfer to a nursing home.

For home-based senior care programs, there are at least two main types: professional or custodial and compassionate or untrained care.

Skilled services are provided by medical professionals, including clinical, behavioral, physical, voice and respiratory rehabilitation, hospice care, social services. A qualified health care provider may also provide personal care for the elderly for a limited period if he/she follows a particular care plan and works directly with a qualified care practitioner, such as a nurse or therapist. Often, qualified services are not offered regularly.

The skilled providers are scheduled to make home visits to their clients on the basis of a treatment plan prescribed by the doctor. Some of the reasons why skilled services are contracted are to accelerate hospital discharge, prevent unwanted hospitalizations, and allow an elder to stay home while recovering from an illness or an acute disease.

Meanwhile, support services are provided by non-medical home caregivers. Such home care providers offer assistance for elderly people by offering personal care such as bath, washing, feeding, housekeeping, cooking, and shopping. A home care company can also accompany you on a trip and activities, auto-administered medications and travel to medical appointments, based on the patient or his family’s request. Based on the need of the client, custodial or support services may be provided.

Programs often vary in volume and frequency, some of which last from several hours a week to twenty-four hours, 7 days a week. Support services aim to help an elderly adult to deal with his or her declining skills, to preserve his or her autonomy and to avoid displacement.

Apart from making sure your favorite one is properly taken care of, he or she is able to maintain adequate contact with the outside world as he or she grows old. This is important because many older people living very far from family and friends who cannot maintain regular interactions with others tend to be lonely and isolated, sometimes leading to depression.

Both qualified and unqualified services are meant to provide care to the elderly at home, and this is often a better option than institutional assistance. Either you can receive Age home care services from a housekeeping company or hire a private caregiver personally, which is often the best option to take part in decision-making. This can be the best choice as long as you are persistent and make more efforts in the recruitment process.