Who Benefits from Home Care Services
What is Home Care?
“Home care” is generally meant to describe the services provided to help an individual with their activities of daily living so that they may live at home safely. They can range from simple companionship and homemaker services, to personal care, to more medically skilled care.
A textbook definition of home care is:
An array of services which may be brought into the home singly or in combination, in order to achieve and sustain the optimum state of health, independence for individuals of all ages who require such services because of acute illness, exacerbations of chronic illness, or long term permanent limitations due to chronic illness and disability.
Who can benefit from home care services?
Home care agencies support their clients and their client’s family members in many ways. For many individuals, the most important assistance is with bathing and dressing. For others, particularly those who are experiencing memory loss, dementia or Alzheimer’s, the presence of the home care agency is an important component to living safely at home. The agency caregiver can also provide nutritious meal preparation, companionship and accompany the client on appointments and shopping trips.
Home care services are not just for long term care. Many individuals use home care services for shorter periods of time. Home care agencies frequently provide services to individuals following surgery, following an injury, or after a prolonged hospital or convalescent stay. In cases like these, the need may initially be for around-the-clock care, but quickly taper off as the client recuperates and is able to care for themselves.
Individuals who have periodic treatments, such as chemo-therapy or radiations may benefit from the assistance provided by a home care agency on the days following their treatment. Other common procedures, such as total hip and knee replacement frequently make simple tasks such as personal care, meal preparation and light housekeeping very difficult. A few hours assistance from home care agency staff can help these individuals focus on their recovery.
Even those individuals who qualify for home health services under Medicare could benefit from home care services. Since Medicare provides only for short visits by nurses therapists or aides, on a intermittent basis, and only when there is a medical necessity for the care - services provided by a home care agency can be an important supplement to this care.
The value of home care services to family members is something not to be overlooked. These services provide important respite to family caregivers, and peace of mind to family members who work or live a distance away from their loved one.
provided by CarePlus Nursing Services at (949) 716-2273
