Benefits of Home Care
According to an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) study, more than 90 percent of seniors or adults with mobility or cognitive challenges want to stay in their own home as long as possible–even if it means getting help with activities of daily living. And it isn’t hard to see why.
Seniors and others who stay at home tend to live longer than those who live in nursing homes, studies have shown. Those who stay at home are also generally more mentally and physically fit. In the case of an illness or injury, research supports the fact that patients can recuperate faster at home than in a hospital, nursing home, or other facility.
Benefits of Care at Home:
One-on-one Attention
When you choose a home care companion, you will have someone whose sole focus is on you or your loved one. Often in nursing homes, long term care homes, or senior care facilities, the residents outnumber the caregivers, so even the most compassionate and dedicated caregiver cannot attend to everyone at once. Your elderly or disabled loved one’s care needs might never be overlooked, but they won’t ever be the priority. With home health care / companion care, a caregiver can devote all their attention to you or your family member. That not only means receiving services sooner – it means the caregiver has ample time to engage your elderly or disabled loved one in conversation, to spend time with them as a friend, something that rarely fits into the schedule at a skilled nursing facility.
Our clients deserve to feel special when they’re receiving home care services–not like they’re just a number. For loved ones who do not have health conditions that require around-the-clock medical supervision or hospital care, home services are a way for them to get assistance with the activities of daily living while feeling like they’re spending time with a friend.
Personalized Care
Companions and family caregivers get to know seniors and other clients on a personal level that simply isn’t possible in a nursing home or similar facility. This relationship transcends medication reminders and knowledge of drug interactions. Caregivers with home care agencies get to know how your loved likes their home kept and what their favorite foods are. They learn about a person’s past and share stories from their own lives. This type of care facilitates a level of emotional support that results in clients living much more fulfilling and satisfied lives.
On the practical side, home care services / home health care can be tailored to meet an older adult or challenged person’s individual needs. Family caregivers can come by to take patients to doctor’s appointments as needed, they can come daily for meal preparation and personal care, or somewhere in between. One major benefit of home care is that clients can get care whenever it’s needed, and the care schedule can change along with their needs. Home care provides seniors, the challenged, and families with the opportunity to tailor the schedule in any way that suits them – from weekly visits to 24/7 care.
Freedom and Independence
One way home cares services help older people and others is that they allow for much more independence than an assisted living facility. With home health care services, a person can participate in activities (or not) according to their preferences or mood, rather than having those activities scheduled for them. The same is true of time spent with families and friends. Nursing homes sometimes have strict rules regarding visitation, where home care services adapt to each person’s desire.
There’s also no substitute for allowing a loved one to feel like they are still an independent person, in charge of their own life. Home care provides a way for them to maintain that control, all while giving family members the peace of mind that older adults or those in need of extra help are getting all the assistance they need.
Comfort and Familiarity
For many people, a long term care facility never quite feels like home, and it can have the impression of a hospital no matter how the staff attempts to create a sense of warmth. It’s easy to understand the reason why so many would rather stay in their own house. Their home is a special place, full of memories. It’s where they raised their own family, and it’s full of the items they’ve loved over the years. You or your loved one might have a pet they would have to give up if they entered a rehabilitation facility. With home care, they don’t have to experience what for many is a tremendous loss.
Older adults and the physically or mentally challenged don’t want to feel like patients in a hospital, and they shouldn’t have to when they only require light assistance. One of the benefits of home companion care is that older adults and others can carry on their lives in the comfort of their own homes. For those who do not need skilled nursing or constant health care services, staying close to family and loved ones in the home they built is often priceless.
Variety
In a nursing home, much about day-to -day life is regulated and can become monotonous: activities take place at the same time each day, the menu doesn’t change much, the nurse visits patients on a set schedule, and so on. Hospital and nursing or health care staff are caring, and they do their absolute best to enrich the lives of their residents, but they simply cannot provide the same variety as a home care agency. If a client wants to go to the park, if they’d like to watch a movie, or if they want to visit an old friend, home companion care can accommodate their wishes. They are free to spend each day however they like, and every care plan is flexible enough to allow for spontaneity.
Health
When thinking of the benefits of home companion care, health outcomes might not be the most obvious. Yet research has shown that healing is facilitated by familiar surroundings. An older person / injured or disabled person can avoid anxiety and depression by remaining at home with the help of home companion care services. Home companion care has the resources for those whose health care needs change, and companions can work in tandem with home health aides to meet those needs. Companion care services are versatile–a companion can assist in recovery care along with a home health aide while necessary, and they can continue in that role or return to their previous duties when the person has recovered. Home health care services and companions work as a team to address all of an older person’s needs.
Studies have show that recovering at home results in faster recuperation and can prevent hospital readmission. Health care in the United States in often prohibitively expensive, so home health care is often the more affordable option.
Reach Us
Servicing all of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.
Toll Free: 1-800-473-4427
Phone: 631-473-0700
Fax: 631-473-9507
46 NY-25A
#8
East Setauket, NY 11733
Susan Farrar, Administrator
sfarrar@homecompanion.com
Request home care for your loved one here by inquiring online below.
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