In-home care allows your loved one to age in place safely in the comfort of their own home. If your loved one can no longer live independently but isn’t ready to move into an assisted living home, you should consider in-home care.
An in-home care aide can provide your loved one with companionship, safety, and assistance with the tasks of daily living. In-home care also offers respite care to family caregivers so that they avoid caregiver burnout. Let’s take a look at the role of in-home care services in promoting healthy aging for seniors.
What Is In-Home Care?
In-home care services are professional support services offered by experienced, compassionate, and highly trained individuals who are committed to enhancing the safety, comfort, and overall well-being of seniors who live at home.
Whether your loved one lives alone or you need additional care services to fill in gaps while you are at work or away from home, an in-home care aide can provide companionship, socialization, mental stimulation, and assistance with the tasks of daily living.
These services reduce your loved one’s risk of health and safety issues at home that could result from them trying to care for themselves. In-home care services are even more important for elderly people who have chronic or acute health conditions, injuries, cognitive issues, mobility problems, or who are recovering from surgery.
What Services Do In-Home Caregivers Provide?
The services that in-home caregivers provide will depend on your needs and budget and your loved one’s age, overall health, and abilities. Most elder care specialists offer assistance with the activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, personal grooming and hygiene, meal preparation, and medication management.
In-home caregiving agencies can also offer more specialized services like in-home hospice care, Alzheimer’s care, memory care, and joint replacement care.
They can provide rehabilitation care, physical therapy and mobility assistance, and transportation to and from medical appointments. They can also provide short and long-term care for an illness, disease, surgery recovery, injury, or disability.
Most in-home care services will have you specify whether you are looking for personal care and companionship, private duty nursing care, or home health care.
How Do You Know Your Loved One Needs In-Home Care?
As your loved one ages, you should be aware of the warning signs that they need in-home care. Without in-home care or assisted living placement services, your loved one could be at risk of a fall, wandering away from home, or other health and safety issues inside or outside of their home.
These are the most obvious warning signs that you should consider in-home care services for your loved one:
- One or more fall inside or outside of the home
- Inability to remember to take medication
- Inability to get to and from bed or the toilet on their own
- Decline in personal hygiene or grooming habits
- Change or decline in health or a new health condition or illness
- Inability to care for themselves while recovering from surgery, an injury, or an illness
- Family caregivers cannot provide around-the-clock care or need respite care services
- Change in eating habits, sudden weight loss, or nutritional deficiencies
- Wandering away from home
- No longer able to drive
- Risk of loneliness or isolation
- Mood swings or changes in cognitive abilities
- No longer able to do housework, or the house is in disrepair or poor condition
What Are the Levels of In-Home Care?
There are three primary levels of in-home care services: personal care and companionship, private duty nursing care, and home health care. Let’s take a look at each one so you can determine which service your loved one needs:
- Personal Care and Companionship – An in-home caregiver can provide socialization, mental stimulation, conversation, and companionship so that your loved one is less likely to suffer from isolation, loneliness, or depression. They can also offer assistance with personal care and activities of daily living, including help getting to and from bed and the bathroom and assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, and meal preparation. Some in-home caregivers also offer light housekeeping services like laundry, washing dishes, and straightening up. Some may also do grocery shopping, offer medication management, and provide transportation to medical appointments and social engagements.
- Nursing Care – A private duty nurse can offer occasional or around-the-clock nursing care for a short-term or long-term illness, medical condition, injury, or disability. They can provide recovery and rehabilitation services post-surgery, administer medication, assist with physical therapy, and provide ventilator care and tracheostomy care.
- Home Health Care – A home health care aide can offer short-term or long-term health care services in the comfort of your loved one’s home. This prevents the need for recovery in a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. These in-home care aides offer skilled care, medication management, and recovery and rehabilitation services for your loved one as they recover from an illness, injury, surgery, or hospital stay.
Benefits of Senior Care Services
Hiring a professional for elder care services offers physical and mental health benefits for your loved one. An in-home caregiver can also offer benefits to you and your family, especially if you choose respite care services so that you can take a break from family caregiving. The biggest benefits of in-home care are:
- Improved safety in the home
- Reduced risk of fall, accident, or injury
- Socialization and companionship
- Greater independence
- Lower risk of wandering
- Respite for family caregivers
- Ability to age in place in the comfort of their own home
- Professional, high-quality care from experts
- Wide range of services available
- Faster recovery time from surgery, injury, or illness
- Transportation to and from medical appointments
- Improved comfort and stability
Alzheimer’s Care and Dementia Care
If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, an in-home caregiver can provide specialized Alzheimer’s care or memory care. These services can reduce the burden on family caregivers, enhance mental stimulation, and slow cognitive decline.
A home caregiver can also reduce the risk of wandering and protect your loved one from a fall, medication overuse, or missed doses. Rather than helping your loved one transition into a nursing home or assisted living facility, a caregiver can ensure your loved one stays in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible while getting the care they need.
A caregiver can offer specialized memory care services, help them with the tasks of daily living, and provide companionship.
Schedule a Consultation for In-Home Care in Southern Arizona Today
If you’re interested in learning more about professional in-home care services in Southern Arizona, contact us at Placita In Home Care. Our compassionate, experienced caregivers can provide assistance with daily living activities, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and medication management.
We can also provide transportation to medical appointments and community senior activities. To schedule a home safety evaluation in the Tucson or Phoenix metro area, call us today or fill out our contact form online.