It’s a fact of life that if a person survives long enough, the body and mind will likely break down in ways that require a certain amount of outside help or care. Another fact of life is that not everyone breaks down physically or mentally at the same rate. That means seniors who wish to live on their own often require a tailored home care experience.
When seeking out a senior home care agency, it’s best to look for one that provides services tailored to the client’s needs and wants. The firm should be focused on helping people with specific needs to maintain an independent, safe, and dignified lifestyle with a combination in-home care, senior community services, and special care services.
With that in mind, what exactly is senior home care services? What are its benefits? A recent report by Forbes Magazine states that according to new research, close to 90 percent of persons over the age of 65 wish to age in place. That is, they want to live in their home for as long as possible. However, to make that a reality, additional care is needed. This is why many families choose to engage in senior home health care services.
Says the president of a home care agency, some seniors wish to be in their home and around their things as they continue to age. The benefit of senior home health care services is that it enables seniors to stay in “their castle” and age in place. They live independently for as long as possible.
Here’s what to expect when working with a senior home care services company in 2025.
Defining Home Health Care
At base, home health care is precisely what it suggests. It’s physical and emotional health for an aging person inside their home. The types and varieties of home care can vary according to need. Some health care can consist purely of medical treatment such as wound care or assistance with chronic disease like heart issues or cancer. Other home health care is of the non-medical variety such as assisting with meal prep.
The Two Types of Senior Home Health Care Services
Medical Care: Often referred to as skilled care, medical care is provided to seniors living at home by certified medical professionals. These include physicians, registered nurses, and physical therapists. The services provided include physical and wound care, chronic disease maintenance, speech and occupational therapy. Medical care can also include injections, nutritional therapy, and health education. Home medical care for seniors must be prescribed by a doctor.
Non-Medical Care: Non-medical home care is said to include help with every day living activities like bathing, meal prep, running errands, dressing, transportation to medical appointments, and even housekeeping. These services are provided by professional home health care aides.
As soon as senior home health care begins, the provider and the patient will work together to determine which days and times are the most appropriate for visitation. Forbes states that day and time can vary greatly, from one hour at a time all the way to 24/7 care.
Aside from hands-on care for the senior patient, home health professionals can act as liaisons when communicating with a healthcare team. They act as “the eyes and ears” for the physician in charge of the patient. Since the doctor only sees his patient on occasion, they might miss a larger medical issue that could be brewing.
Benefits of Senior Home Health Care
The benefits to senior home health care are many. The most obvious plus is that it allows seniors to remain inside their family home rather than having to live inside a sterile facility. Having a home health care worker show up every day or even every week is said to greatly reduce loneliness among seniors. This improves their overall emotional and mental health.
For instance, during the pandemic, home health care workers were often the only people seniors saw on a regular basis. They were able to form a bond and become part of the family since the professionals were spending hours or even days per week at the house. It’s not uncommon for a home health worker and a senior to take a vacation together, or so experts say.
In the end, senior home health care workers are good for the body and the soul. They are proven to reduce hospital readmissions. For example, in a recent general review of patients suffering heart failure, those who received nurse visits at their home were said to have experienced fewer emergency room and hospital visits. They also experienced less mortality for upwards of a year after their original hospital discharge.
In a word, senior home health care services help the aging population live a longer, more fruitful life.