Watching your parents get older is tough - a challenge with many complicated decisions. As your seniors age, the roles your family has maintained for your entire lives begin to reverse. As the parents become less able, children take on the role of responsibility. Working together as a family is critical to ensure your parents get the care they need. Traditionally in the United States, the solution for elderly care has been for the older generation to move into a nursing home. However, this is not always best for every individual - more and more people are opting for at-home senior care services. Read on to learn more about this option for your elderly loved ones!
What Are At-Home Senior Care Services?
At-home senior care services encompass a variety of professional support services that can help your elderly loved ones remain in their own home. Home care means an experienced caregiver or rotation of caregivers come to the senior’s home to provide whatever help is required. The level of care varies depending on the needs of the elderly.
Types of In-Home Care
The tasks that caregivers perform are unique to each individual they serve. Your parents might need help with daily activities such as bathing or dressing. Other seniors need assistance around the house with chores like laundry, cleaning, or meal prep. Some elders require help with errands, grocery shopping, or transportation. Other caregivers specialize in providing medical care such as prescription management, monitoring vitals, or supervision for seniors with limited cognitive abilities or memory declines, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Another type of in-home care is simply companionship, where the caregiver comes to offer company and friendship to an isolated senior. The services of caregivers are wide-ranging - it is crucial to identify and hire for your loved one’s specific needs.
The Benefits of At-Home Senior Care Services
At-home senior care services provide many physical, psychological, and practical benefits. Here are some top reasons you should consider in-home care for your elderly parents!
No Hassle of Moving
Moving is expensive and potentially traumatic for a senior. You must sell furniture, personal belongings, and usually the entire house as your parents prepare to downsize. This is a lot of added stress, on top of the emotional trauma that can impact your senior from a big move.
Increased Life Expectancy and Faster Healing
Studies have found that patients that live in their own homes have a longer life expectancy than those who enter nursing homes. If your loved one is recovering from an illness or injury, it is proven that seniors recover faster in their own homes than in a care facility. Hiring trustworthy at-home senior care services is essential to keep your parents living long, happy, healthy lives, and well-monitored in case of illness, injuries, or falls.
Individualized Attention and Customized Services
Nursing homes have one facility and team that cater to every individual - with at-home senior care services, you can customize the services and care your aging loved one receives. This allows them to continue doing the tasks they can, fostering their sense of autonomy, yet assists them with things that they don’t need to worry about anymore. It also ensures they get individualized, one-on-one attention from their professional caregiver, ultimately receiving a higher quality of care.
Affordability
A common misconception about at-home senior care services is the price. You pay for the services your parents need, which can be an economical option in the long run. Often, rates for home-based care are far lower than nursing homes, where all-inclusive is the only option.
Independence, Freedom, & Mental Health
One of the worst things you can do for a senior is take away the independence and freedom they have known for their entire life. Hiring at-home senior care services allow seniors to have the freedom to set their own rules and leave the house when they want to visit friends or run errands. Keeping their autonomy has a positive impact on their lives and mental health. This saves them from cognitive decline and depression.
Closer Relationships to Family
Nursing homes often restrict visitors to certain hours or days they can visit based on mealtimes, noise restrictions, or medical needs. Although practical, this can make it more challenging for you or your family members to see their loved ones in a facility. Remaining at home allows your parents to maintain closer relationships with their family members, allowing the family to visit whenever they want. This is usually one of the most meaningful things in their life!
The Disadvantages of Nursing Homes
Nursing homes are not a one-size fits all seniors option. They are often expensive and take away a senior’s sense of independence and freedom. It restricts access to your loved ones and makes them go through the potentially traumatic process of moving and giving up their own space and home so late in life. Seniors are often comforted by their hard-earned home, belongings, and neighborhood - some of the many things they have to relinquish upon moving into a care home. This can cause cognitive and physical diseases or increase the rate of decline in individuals. Moving to a nursing home frequently has adverse mental health effects, causing seniors to become depressed, angry, or forgetful. Experienced at-home senior care services can be a wise alternative to avoid the potential disadvantages of a nursing home.
How Home Instead Can Help
Are you looking for a convenient way for your loved ones to be able to age in their own home but need some help? Home Instead is here for you in Eastern WA! We are ready to jump on your team to support your aging family members, allowing them to stay in their homes with the assistance they need. Visit our website today to schedule an in-home care consultation by filling out this online form. We look forward to working with you on how to help your loved ones happily live out their golden years!
