If a family member needs some assistance with daily activities but wants to remain at home, but needs additional emotional support, hiring an at home companion could be beneficial. These professionals offer more than just emotional support; they offer tangible help.
They can also assist in reminding patients about appointments or medications, and assist in keeping up with personal grooming and hygiene needs.
Emotional Support
Home companions provide emotional support to their clients by listening, empathizing, and offering encouragement. This type of assistance helps people feel valued and ensures they don’t become overwhelmed in difficult circumstances.
One option would be offering suggestions or advice that may help the person cope with distressing emotions; however, it should not be their role to solve problems for them. In meaningful relationships, emotional support helps both partners learn to resolve conflict constructively and see each other from a realistic point of view.
Your elderly loved one might be more willing to allow care providers in if they know they will make them feel less isolated. Get in touch with Visiting Angels’ office in your area now to schedule a complimentary home care consultation session and see what solution might work.
Social Interaction
At home companions offer warm social interaction that helps combat feelings of isolation and depression, increasing physical activity levels as well as keeping seniors healthy. Research has confirmed the positive benefits that such interactions bring.
Companion care services are also available for residents living in facilities who need hands-off activities and social interaction to combat loneliness, and have been shown to be more beneficial than simply moving homes. Companion care can include pet assistance such as walks and playtime sessions as well as technology assistance services to keep in touch with loved ones online.
Help with Daily Living Activities
Companions often provide invaluable assistance with daily chores that enable individuals to remain independent. Their assistance may prove lifesaving for loved ones who struggle with mobility or cannot leave the house on their own.
Companion caregivers can provide transportation for seniors attending medical appointments or participating in activities such as sporting events. This can alleviate much of the strain placed upon family members who must work or have other commitments.
Seniors living alone may neglect personal grooming and hygiene, leading to skin issues or infections. Companion caregivers can remind their clients to bathe, dress and groom regularly while also helping maintain a safe home environment.
Medication Reminders
Many older adults take multiple medications that must be taken at specific times and temperatures. Being reminded to take them can make an immense difference to their overall health and well-being, so having someone remind them is often helpful in improving health outcomes.
Companions may assist clients with medications by showing them where to store and dispensing or administering it daily – however they must entrust this task to a certified home health aide instead. They can also accompany clients on medical appointments if required.
Personal Grooming and Hygiene
Home companions provide personal grooming and hygiene assistance such as bathing. They can ensure clothes are freshly washed before being placed back into their closet for daily wear, lotions or skin creams readily available, assist with getting dressed or undressed and run errands such as grocery shopping – however these services cannot provide nursing or physical assistance – these would need to be provided by a home caregiver instead.
Finding appropriate in-home care for an aging family member doesn’t need to be daunting; consider starting with companion care services first and gradually adding non-medical home care as your loved one’s needs change, rather than scrambling last minute for an emergency care facility.
Housework
Companions often provide housekeeping services like cooking meals, doing the laundry and tidying the home. They may even go grocery shopping or run errands on behalf of their clients. Companions also assist people who find performing everyday chores difficult due to health conditions – often helping with them that become impossible or unsafe due to health complications. Due to limited training compared with nurses or carers, companions are best used for nonmedical tasks; such as helping dress wounds or administer medication or providing incontinence care services should hire professional licensed carers instead; those professionals also meet legal requirements associated with working within homes.