As seniors get older, it can become more and more challenging to handle daily tasks and manage to live independently in a single-family home. A retirement community, assisted living center or nursing home are always options, of course, but many times seniors want to spend this season late in life in the places they love and doing the things they enjoy most. Home care is a service that helps seniors stay in the environment where they want to be. But what exactly is home care? There are many different types of home care that represent different levels of need. Here’s a look at 8 different types of home care that you can consider for the senior in your life.
1. Companionship Care
When a senior is living alone, one of the hardest things to deal with is loneliness. Perhaps a spouse has passed away, or maybe it’s more and more difficult to get out to see and visit with friends. That’s when companionship care from an in-home caregiver can be incredibly helpful.
Companionship care can include informal conversation, playing a game or working on a puzzle, walking around the block, or even working alongside the senior doing light chores and laundry. Simply having someone to talk to and spend time with can go a long way toward reducing a senior’s loneliness.
2. Personal Care
Dressing and personal hygiene can become increasingly difficult for seniors. Personal care is designed to help with these activities, including bathing and showering, oral hygiene, makeup application, hair care, shaving, and getting ready for bed.
Seniors want to live with dignity, but challenges with dressing and hygiene can start to rob them of that dignity. Personal care is a way to help them conduct these daily tasks and help seniors feel confident and comfortable.
3. Meals and Nutrition
Seniors also struggle to shop for groceries, prepare meals, and generally maintain a nutritious diet. The caregiver can help with every aspect of meal preparation and general nutrition. They can help seniors shop for groceries, as well as plan and prepare meals. By shopping, planning, and preparing in tandem, seniors also enjoy a measure of socialization, too.
4. Transportation
It can be downright unsafe for some seniors to get behind the wheel of a car, especially at night. Unfortunately, as a senior’s ability to drive goes away, so too does a senior’s ability to get out and see friends and do things that he or she enjoys doing.
Home care can assist with transportation, driving seniors to events and activities that they want to participate in. Also, transportation assistance can help seniors stay connected with friends who may also have a hard time getting out of the house.
5. Household Duties and Chores
The hardest part about seniors staying in their homes is general upkeep and maintenance. Over time, a senior will have a more difficult time cleaning, doing laundry, changing light bulbs and HVAC filters, etc. Many seniors who live in two-story homes even struggle to get up the stairs.
An in-home caregiver can assist with household duties and chores, as well as spend time inspecting and providing any needed upkeep and maintenance in hard-to-reach places — like second stories.
6. Respite Care
Sometimes seniors have the primary caregiver they need, but that primary caregiver needs a break from time to time. That’s when respite care is so valuable. Respite care is when a professional caregiver allows the primary family caregiver to take a break and recharge.
7. Hospice Care
Home care can also include hospice support services. Hospice is when a senior is terminally ill and no longer taking medication or undergoing procedures to combat the illness. A caregiver can provide support and compassion during this sensitive time, helping to make a senior as comfortable and fulfilling as possible during a challenging season.
8. 24-Hour Care
The most hands-on and intensive type of home care is 24-hour care. It’s not unusual for seniors to reach a point at which they need around-the-clock support. In situations like this, it’s important to have an experienced and reliable home care agency that can staff a senior’s home 24 hours a day and provide the needed care.
What Type of Home Care Do You Need?
At Colonial Home Care Services, we provide a wide range of home care services in Orange County, Long Beach, Mission Viejo & the surrounding area. We provide each of the different types of home care listed above, and we are passionate about doing all we can to help seniors live their lives to the fullest.
What type of home care are you searching for? Get in touch to learn about our services and how we can provide the support you need.