Deciding when to bring in home care for your loved one can be a tough decision. Before making this decision, it’s important to fully understand what home care is and what it is not.
Home care is a non-medical service aimed at making the lives of seniors easier and does not require a doctor’s prescription to obtain. Anyone who feels their loved one needs assistance with daily life can obtain home care.
Services provided by home care professionals include help with personal hygiene, transportation, meal preparation, medication reminders, shopping, bill payments, and companionship.
Is Home Care the Same as Home Health Care?
Home care is not the same as home health care. Home health care is for people who have special medical needs and this service requires a doctor’s prescription. Home health care is administered by a licensed nurse who can assist with medical activities such as providing medical tests and changing medications. In contrast, home care is for families who need assistance and support for their loved one’s day-to-day routines and home care does not require a doctor’s prescription.
Signs It Might Be Time for Home Care
It is never easy to acknowledge that your loved one needs extra care living at home. The signs that it might be time to consider bringing in assistance include declining care in personal hygiene, changing eating habits, overall decreased activity, house cleaning chores going unattended, bill paying that is ignored and most important to note is an increase in falls and accidents moving around the home.
It Is Also About You, the Family Caretaker
Home care is not just to assist your loved one, it is also to ease the strain on you, the caretaker. While taking care of a loved one, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself and your work as a caretaker can take a personal toll on you. A home care assistant can help with many daily tasks, including household chores and transportation, lessening the burden on the you the caretaker.
Bringing in home care is never an easy decision. If you have noticed your loved one’s daily care is declining, it might be time to bring in home care assistance.
