When you’re taking care of an aging parent or elder, we know things can get difficult physically and emotionally.
There is absolutely no shame in admitting that you can no longer care for the elder on your own.
You need to take care of yourself, too.
In this post, you’ll learn about why hiring home health care services is the right choice not just for you, but also for the elder you are helping to take care of.
It’s time to do the best thing for everyone involved in their care.
1. Medication Reminders
Are you concerned that the elder in your life isn’t remembering to take their medications — or is taking an incorrect dose?
If so, then home health care services can certainly help.
While there are many apps that can assist with medication reminders, sometimes, a “real person” is just a kinder and gentler reminder. Plus, you won’t have to worry about tech glitches.
Caregivers can also go with elders to doctor’s appointments and make sure that the information they’re giving healthcare providers is accurate.
2. In Home Health Care in a Familiar Environment
With close to 6 million patients currently struggling with Alzheimer’s, one of the biggest advantages of home health care services is that it allows the elder to live in a familiar environment.
While nursing homes and other assisted living facilities certainly provide great care, moving to a new place can compound the effects of memory loss and confusion.
Plus, letting an elder live at home means that they’ll be able to feel as though they’re maintaining a certain level of independence.
Remember that you can select the amount of care and the level of care that your elder needs, and adjust accordingly as time goes on.
3. Assistance with Errands
In between taking care of your own children, making it to meetings at work, and getting enough sleep at night, you just don’t always have the time to help the elder in your life with everyday tasks and errands.
The good news?
Home care agencies provide caregivers whose job it is to do just that.
Not only does this help to ensure that the elder has everything they need, it also means that they’ll live in a safe environment.
A caregiver can even provide meals and shop for groceries so that the elder gets the nutrition they need.
4. Home Health Care Takes the Strain off You
While the process of aging and declining health can certainly take a toll on an elder?
It can also seriously start to impact your own mental and physical health.
With caregiver stress on the rise across the world, home health care services can help you to take some of the guilt, stress, and yes, even frustration and sadness out of caring for an elder.
Spend some time on the Families Choice Home Care website to learn more about why in-home care is the right decision not only for the elder but also for you.
5. Someone to Talk With
Elder loneliness is a serious issue — but the right in home health care can help to combat it.
Having a companion to go on walks with outside, spend time doing activities with, or even just to sit and talk to will help make sure the elder stays mentally healthy and happy.
It can even help their memory to continue to function as they age, and can help to jog older memories in those dealing with confusion.
Plus, you’ll feel better knowing that, even if you’re far away, the elder in your life isn’t alone and feeling forgotten.
6. Help with Fall Prevention
Countless elders slip and fall in their homes.
However, if they’re alone, these falls can be even more dangerous — even deadly.
Hiring a caregiver means that, even if the worst does happen, the elder will be able to get help right away. Additionally, a caregiver can help to keep the house neat and tidy.
This means that the obstacles that could cause an elder to fall will always stay out of the way.
A professional caregiver can even rearrange the furniture in an elder’s home.
This will help to make sure that the environment that they live in will stay as safe as is possible. We know this will help to take some stress off of you.
7. Experience with Specific Conditions
Last but not least, home care agencies can also provide you and the elder with expert experience in managing specific conditions associated with age.
They can help them to perform exercises to keep them healthy. Caregivers will recognize the signs and symptoms of an illness, and be able to alert you if they think it’s getting worse.
They can also help to keep an elder comfortable in the final stages of an illness.
Want to Learn More About Home Health Care Services?
As you can see from this post, there are countless advantages to making home health care services a part of your elder’s life.
From helping them to feel like they’re still independent of taking some of the serious pressures of caregiving off of you, you should start researching home care agencies as soon as possible.
We know that you also want to learn more about the many things that you can do to continue to keep an elder comfortable.
We are here to help.
Be sure to check out our website and blog to learn more about how to care for the elder in your life.
Give them back all the gifts they’ve given you over the years.
