Selecting a Home Care Agency

Home care services for seniors are designed to help them remain in their homes, as well as improve their quality of life. Seniors can benefit from having a personal assistant, housekeeper, or caregiver to assist them with daily activities. Many seniors live alone and wish to maintain independence. They also need assistance with everyday living tasks that make living a senior living experience more pleasant. The goal of home care services is to provide seniors with the highest level of comfort and help them return to a normal and active lifestyle. Home care services can offer help with bathing, dressing, grooming, medication reminders, and more.

Seniors who live alone in their homes can be overwhelmed by a variety of tasks. Some may require assistance with meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry, bathing, driving, using the bathroom, and more. Because assisted living facilities can be extremely expensive, many seniors decide to turn to home care services instead. This can reduce seniors' need for long term nursing home care and helps them maintain their independence.

Assistants, housekeepers, and companionship caregivers can provide a variety of services that help seniors maintain their independence and maintain their quality of life. They can prepare meals, take away food, provide light housekeeping, perform light housework, take occasional medications, do light housework, perform vacuuming and dusting, assist with bathing and hair care, drive the senior to appointments, perform light housekeeping chores, and more. There are several different types of home care services, depending on the needs of the individual situation and budget. The most common services include companionship, housekeeping, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and daily activities like shopping, exercising, hobbies, exercise, and others.

Assisted living is an option many seniors choose because it offers a safe, consistent environment. Seniors can choose to reside in an assisted living facility or a nursing home. Many seniors also prefer companionship services. These are specially trained individuals who are available 24 hours a day to help seniors remain independent and enjoy their lives.

Home care services also provide other important services, such as medical accompaniment. Medical accompaniment (commonly referred to as "medical care") is a term used to indicate that the client is being provided the same level of care as a specialized medical professional, but within the home setting. Medical care includes routine doctor visits, blood work, and emergency or critical care situations. Most home health aides are not licensed doctors, so they cannot give diagnose or prescribe medication. However, they can administer such things as taking medication under the supervision of a licensed medical professional.

If you have a medical condition or illness that affects your ability to care for yourself, you may qualify for Medicaid, or a State Health Care Program. Each State has its own list of eligible individuals and finding out if you do qualify can be a simple process. In some cases, a home health aide may qualify for Medicaid if they are also receiving custodial care and are in need of around-the-clock care, or if they are suffering from an illness that requires specialized medical treatment. As a general rule, individuals who are 65 years of age or older, children who are younger than 18, and parents who do not reside with their children and who are not married are typically eligible for Medicaid.

Many home care services offer private duty health care providers. This type of service allows you to have someone that is trained in nursing to assist with your personal needs. Private duty home care providers are typically selected based on their location, level of experience, and the specific tasks that they perform. For instance, if you live in a rural area and are involved in a situation where there is a risk of exposure to dangerous chemicals, then your private duty health care providers may come from an area that does not have the same safety measures in place as those in more urban areas.

Having a senior care plan in place can help you pay for the increased costs associated with having elderly family members around for longer periods of time. The costs can be difficult for any family to cover. Often, this means that you will have to cut down on certain luxuries that you take for granted. This can be difficult for seniors who already have a number of health problems. If you have a home care agency that helps you maintain a financial cushion, then you can provide your loved ones with the type of senior care that they need to remain comfortable.