By Maria Burke, RN
Owner, Celtic Angels Home Health Care
Are you considering home health care for the beloved senior in your life? It’s a big decision! And it’s natural to have worries. You may wonder, for instance, if your senior loved one would be better off in an assisted living facility or a nursing home. Or you may feel guilty at the thought of hiring home health care instead of doing 100% of the care yourself.
These are both common concerns. But the reality is, in-home health care offers a variety of advantages. Here are four benefits of in-home health care for your beloved senior:
- A familiar environment
Perhaps the biggest advantage in-home health care offers your beloved senior is the ability to remain in a familiar environment. Most of us would prefer to continue living in our own homes or with friends or family rather than moving to a new living situation, whether it’s an assisted living facility or a nursing home, as we age. Your beloved senior likely feels the same way.
Home health care provides your family with the assistance you need to allow your beloved senior to age in place. Whether your senior loved one requires skilled nursing, assistance with dressing and bathing, or companionship and transportation, in-home health care can meet all those needs and more. - Maintaining connections
Loneliness is one of the greatest risks seniors face, and it’s linked to myriad health problems. For example, loneliness has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, and even premature death. It’s a serious concern for seniors and their loved ones.
Fortunately, in-home health care helps your beloved senior maintain connections. Continuing to live in their own home or living environment helps keep family ties intact. And because certified nursing assistants and home health aides can provide transportation, it’s easier to maintain connections with friends, too. Plus, your beloved senior will likely develop a good relationship with his or her care partners. - Less exposure to communicable diseases
We all learned how tragically vulnerable nursing home residents are to communicable diseases during the COVID19 pandemic. Sadly, nursing home residents accounted for approximately 21% of all deaths in the early years of the pandemic. And nursing home residents continue to be vulnerable to a variety of communicable diseases.
In contrast, seniors who age in place and receive home health care typically aren’t exposed to as many communicable diseases simply because their living conditions aren’t as crowded. While seniors living at home may still be exposed to communicable diseases through family or community members, they typically have less exposure than seniors living in a communal setting. - Personal attention
Caring for aging seniors is a big job. And no matter how dedicated family members are, they often have other obligations, like work, school, or caring for their own children. Home health care professionals give your beloved senior the personal attention they need while also giving family members a break from the pressures of full-time caregiving.
That’s important because seniors often need round-the-clock care. Trying to do all that care yourself may prove to be too much and could strain your relationship with your beloved senior. And seniors, in turn, don’t want to feel like they are burdening their family. Home health care is a positive solution to these problems.
Would you like to learn more about the benefits of home health care for your beloved senior? Read about the services we provide at https://celticangelsinc.com/what-we-do, or schedule an appointment on the site to meet us in the comfort of your own home. You can always call us
at 781-331-0062 or 781-662-8700, or visit us at www.celticangelsinc.com.
