Home care allows seniors to remain in their homes, rather than moving to nursing homes or assisted living facilities. This keeps their spirits high and depression low, and it helps them maintain their independence.
Seniors who are homebound are eligible for Medicare to cover their long-term care. When that coverage ends, many people turn to private payments or long-term care insurance to cover their ongoing needs.
Professional Care in the Comfort of Their Own Home
A professional in-home care agency can match your senior family member with a trained and caring caregiver. These services can be tailored to your loved one’s needs and can include everything from companionship to skilled nursing.
Caregivers can also help your loved one with a wide range of activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, medication prompting and driving them to appointments or errands around town. They can also help your senior stay healthy and happy by offering meals, socialization and support.
There are many options for in-home care in New York. Some are covered by Medicaid or a federally approved waiver.
These programs are designed to promote your safety and health while allowing you to remain in your home and community. They can help you age in place and avoid the need for long-term care. You can find more information about these programs on the state’s website.
Keeping Your Loved One Safe
As a family caregiver, you have a great responsibility to your loved one and you need to ensure that they are safe. The most effective way to do this is by making sure your aging parent has proper safety measures in place.
Falling is a major concern for seniors, and there are many steps you can take to reduce your loved one’s risk of injury. For example, removing items like ladders and step ladders can make a significant difference in your senior’s safety.
Another thing you can do is install a PERS, or Personal Emergency Response System. These devices have a button that connects your loved one to an emergency response specialist if they experience a fall.
Taking these precautions can give you peace of mind and allow your aging parent to enjoy the benefits of senior home care. Having the best tools and technology at your disposal can also help promote a healthy and safe lifestyle for your loved one.
Avoiding Hospital Visits
Hospital visits are stressful, often costly, and can result in negative outcomes for seniors. They can cause falls, infections, cognitive problems (hospital delirium and/or worsening dementia), and general decline that lasts.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid these trips to the emergency room while your loved one is in senior home care. For example, home health nurses can help ensure seniors take their medications as prescribed by their doctor.
In addition, they can work with hospitals and rehab facilities to coordinate post-hospitalization follow-up care. This can include weekly check-ins, daily visits, and 24/7 support and monitoring.
Moreover, research shows that some models of home care are effective in reducing hospital admissions. These programs focus on improving patient/consumer engagement and care coordination, as well as improving health behaviors, and promoting the use of practice guidelines and care paths.
Keeping the Mind Healthy
Caregivers often focus on medical adherence and daily activities (ADLs), but it’s just as important to provide mental health care. By observing seniors’ moods and behavior, caregivers are able to identify potential signs of mental decline and report them to a doctor for treatment.
Seniors can also keep their brains sharp by learning new skills. Studies have shown that learning a new skill like quilting or digital photography can improve memory and thinking abilities.
Another way to keep a senior’s mind healthy is through exercise and stress management. Getting plenty of exercise boosts mental energy and can even reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Lastly, ensuring seniors have frequent interactions with family and friends can help combat feelings of isolation. This is especially important for seniors who may be experiencing decline in their social skills.