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Caring for senior parents can be daunting. You simply want to know that they’re getting the best care possible and that all their needs are being met. Many seniors benefit from in-home care. To help you determine whether or not this option is right for you and your parents, the following will explore some of the benefits and options available when it comes to in-home care.

Start From A Place Of Character

Before beginning, it’s crucial to emphasize that every human being is different. Just because your parent is a senior now doesn’t mean that they suddenly behave one way and need all the same things as other seniors. Whenever making any decisions regarding the care of a senior parent, it’s always best to start from a place of understanding their character, worldview, and specific needs. When you’re in doubt, speak to any siblings you might have, your parent’s friends, their spouse, or your parents themselves. Everything in life involves a level of giving and take, something gained, and something sacrificed. It is essential that you keep your parent’s character and preferences in mind when making decisions that involve changes to their situation.

Therapy And Rehabilitative Benefits

If your parent has recently been in an accident, has an injury of some sort, or another healing process that they are currently underway, in-home rehabilitation and therapy are options. The first step is to speak with a doctor about what type of rehabilitation is required for recovery and ask whether or not this type of service can be provided in the home. There are in-home rehabilitation options for everything from a broken bone to recovering from a  stroke. This type of home care might be more convenient and comfortable for parents who have trouble getting around due to pain or find rehabilitation embarrassing. Of course, the in-home care worker will have less access to specialized equipment, so it’s a good idea to talk to them ahead of time about what would be best for your parent’s recovery progress and make sure that all bases are covered. 

Companionship

Another fantastic benefit of home care is the option for companionship. Many senior parents in that middle stage, between being perfectly capable of living on their own and needing a new environment designed to support seniors in their daily life, benefit from the companionship aspect of having an in-home care visitor. Consistently strong relationships and companionship are found to be one of the most crucial aspects of living a long and healthy life. Having a weekly or even daily visitor to chat with, especially for seniors who have lost a spouse or who otherwise live alone, can make a huge difference in the quality of life.

Help With Daily Activities

Sometimes senior parents need assistance with daily activities like dressing and bathing. In-home care professionals, as indicated at arcare.com.au, are trained and have experience helping people with tasks like this without making things awkward or otherwise uncomfortable. There are often a wide variety of options available within these sorts of home-care packages.

Home care options are broken into four categories: basic care needs, low care needs, intermediate care needs, and high care needs. Your parents might only need a visit once per week to help them cut their toenails as bending that way is tough. They might also need daily help getting their shoes on and off. Whatever needs your parents have, there will be a package suited to them.

Assistance With Tasks Around The House

Sometimes it isn’t so much personal care that a senior parent is struggling with, but home care and tasks around the house. Maybe poor eyesight makes knowing when to scrub the shower difficult. Maybe getting the vacuum under the bed isn’t feasible anymore. Perhaps cooking requires dexterity that has been lost. In-home care workers can include home care and assistance with tasks that have become unsafe to be performed alone to make life easier for your parents.

Medicinal Care

inhouse-senior-care
Photo by Eddy Klaus on Unsplash

Your parents, depending on their situation, might also need help with medically-based situations or medications. If this is the case, home-care is still an option, but you will be looking for someone or a provider with someone who has the certifications required for the type of medical practice that will be ongoing. 

Supervision

Some seniors, particularly those with degenerative brain disorders, might be in need of supervision. In-home care workers can provide non-invasive supervision to help ensure that harmful mistakes are less likely to occur.

The above list is only a few of the benefits of in-home care for senior parents. Again, every person is different. When speaking to potential home-care providers, be sure to be clear about your parents’ medical and health situations as well as their needs and interests. Ideally, you want to find someone who is a good emotional and mental match for your parents as well as someone who is qualified and experienced with the particular circumstances they’ll encounter. 

Carol
Information sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.