What Are Home Care and Types of Care Available for Seniors
If you’re already a senior or you have a family member who is a senior, it’s time to weigh your options. If you require care, you can choose to stay at home. Home care services allow you to safely and independently stay in your home while receiving care.
Whether it’s a short-term or long-term setup, it’s a perfect arrangement for those recovering from an illness or injury, managing disability or chronic health issues, or simply those who need help with day-to-day tasks. Professional caregivers can include aides, nurses, and therapists, among others, depending on the client’s specific needs and condition.
Home care services
There are plenty of reasons why you should consider home care. This care allows seniors to enjoy a quality life with increased independence, security, and safety, right in the comfort of their homes. It allows you to recover from an illness or injury, or manage an ongoing condition, or avoid hospitalization, without having to get transferred to a facility.
Home care may include the following:
- Dressing and bathing
- Moving around the house
- Performing daily activities and safely managing tasks
- Rehabilitative services and therapy
- Companionship
- Long-term or short-term nursing care
If you wish to inquire more about this type of care, you can check out a reliable Home Care Agency in Pennsylvania.
Types of home care
The good thing about home care is that it is flexible and can be customized, to suit the unique needs and demands of each senior. Since home care comes in different types, it’s important to know the types of services available to determine which type of care is best for you.
The following are the most common types of home care:
Personal care and companionship
This type of care is focused on helping seniors perform daily tasks. In this type of care, caregivers help seniors have independence in safely performing everyday activities such as household chores, meal preparation, bathing, dressing, and simply moving around the house.
This care may include:
- Assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, and other self-care
- Helping with light housekeeping, meal preparation and planning, errands, laundry, medication reminders, shopping, and transportation to medical appointments
- Assisting with ambulation such as moving in and out of bed or the wheelchair
- Special supervision and care for people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
- Companionship and engaging in social activities
Private duty nursing care
This is the type of care required for seniors who are recovering from and managing chronic illness, disability, or injury. It is a long-term and hourly nursing care.
This care may include:
- Vital signs monitoring
- Medication administration
- Ventilator care
- Catheter care
- Feeding tube care
- Gastrostomy or ostomy care
- Tracheostomy care
- Specific care for those with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions.
Home health care
If the patient requires short-term care, as directed by his or her physician, home health care may be the best option. This short-term care is designed to help patients recover after a hospital stay or from an injury or illness.
This type of care may include:
- Home health aid services
- Short-term nursing care
- Medical and social work
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Speech language pathology
To know which type of home care you need, it’s best if you discuss the matter with your physician first.