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What are home care services for seniors?

While it may be hard to accept, some form of in-home personal care assistance for seniors is required. You may be used to handling everything by your own, splitting up the duties with your partner, or depending on family members for minor help around the home. However, as you get older and your conditions change, getting around and taking care of yourself can be more and more difficult.

If the idea of moving to a retirement community, assisted living facility, or nursing home doesn't sound appealing, in-home care services are an ideal option for you.

For your understanding, we are listing the services in-home personal care should include:

Household maintenance

As we get older, keeping our home neat and tidy requires a lot of effort. Checking and buying supplies, preparing timely meals, taking medicines on schedule and more is a tall order and it’s natural to forget. You should ask for assistance in each of them from your caregivers.

Mobility

Mobility is a critical issue for seniors. It is recommended that senior individuals step outside their homes at least once a day. This has a positive effect on their mental health as they interact with their community. Personal care caregivers should assist elders during such walks.

Personal care

Activities in daily life, such as dressing, bathing, or meal preparation, is called personal or custodial care. Home care can provide personal care assistance that ranges from a few hours a day to around-the-clock live-in care. You should ask for these services from your caregivers.

Care Plan

A care plan is a holistic plan that incorporates all of your medical and personal needs and those of your family members as well. It is a document that will serve as a guiding hand for you and help you to judge are your caregivers effective enough or not. Home care service providers like Agility Home Care provide you with such care-plan.

But still the important question is, is your home an ideal place?

It's a natural desire to stay at home as you grow older.

The familiar can be supportive as we face the losses that come with aging, and your house is likely filled with loving memories. Too often, choices to leave home are made abruptly after a sudden loss or health crisis, making changes all the more painful and difficult. Advanced planning and examining which home care services are available makes it more sensible to make the choice that's best for both you and your family.

Of course, everyone's needs vary, depending on circumstances such as how much support do you have, your general health and mobility, and your financial situation. Here are some of the issues to consider when deciding your aging in place and personal home care options:

Location and accessibility

Where is your house located? Are you in a rural or suburbs that require much driving? If you're in an area with more public transportation, is it safe and simply accessible? How much time does it take you to get to services such as shopping or any medical appointments? It's more important to consider proximity to city services and activities.

Home accessibility and maintenance

Is your home easily modified? Does it have multiple steps or a steep hill to access? Do you have a large garden that needs to be maintained?

Support availability

Do you have family and colleagues nearby? How involved are they? Are people able to provide you the support you need? Many seniors prefer to rely on family to provide cooperation, but as your needs increase, they might not be able to fill in all the gaps. Caregiving can be physically and emotionally exhausting, especially if it is dependent on one person. Your relationships will be healthier if you are open to the idea of taking help from more than one source.

Isolation

If it becomes challenging or impossible for you to leave home without help, the feeling of being isolated can immediately set in. You may not be able to engage in hobbies you love, stay interested in community service that keeps you motivated, or visits to friends and family. Losing these bonds and support is a recipe for depression.

Medical conditions

No one can predict the future. However, if you or your partner has a chronic medical disease that is expected to get worse over time, it's very important to think about how you will handle health and mobility problems. What are the common complications of your condition, and how will you manage them?

Finances

Making a budget with anticipated expenses can help you to consider the pros and cons of your situation. Alternate methods like assisted living can be costly, but extensive in-home help can quickly become costly as well, particularly at higher levels of care and live-in or 24-hour coverage.

Your family's / loved one’s opinions

Normally, you have the final decision as to where you want to live, but opinions from family members can be helpful. Listening to concerns and keeping an open mind is important.

Aging in A different place

If you feel overwhelmed by the expense of your home, cut off from social amenities, or want companionship with others of your age, an independent living or retirement community may be a better option. As the name suggests, independent living is about making life more pleasant rather than a loss of independence.

Coming to terms with changes in your level of self-confidence

It's normal to feel doubtful, helpless, or even angry when you realize that you can't do the things you used to be able to do. You may feel guilty at the prospect of having to depend on strangers to do things you've been used to doing for yourself. Alternatively, you may contact uncomfortable about having "strangers" in your house. By acknowledging all these feelings and keeping your mind open to new ways to make life more comfortable, you'll not only cope with your change in a situation better but may also be able to prolong other characters of your independence for longer.

Be patient with yourself

Losing some of your freedom is not a sign of weakness. So allow yourself to feel sad or frustrated about changes in your home care situation without hitting yourself up or labeling yourself a failure.

Be open to new possibilities

Your loved ones offer suggestions about home care services to make your life more comfortable. Rather than rejecting them out of hand, try to keep an open mind and examine the options. Many times, new experiences, and situations can lead to you developing new friendships or discovering new opportunities.

Take a trial run of services

The trial run lets you have the chance to undergo with the benefits of personal care services without having to commit to anything for long-term.

At the end of the day, it is about your health, happiness and your peace of mind. We recommend you to hear us out before you take a measured and well-planned decision.

For more information, our assistance team is always at your service!!