The shift in values of every generation is as constant as in music and fashion trends and the home care industry is one of the sectors that can attest to that. Statistics show that majority of the adults in the United States, especially seniors, prefer to stay at home unless their health requires otherwise. Thanks to the advancement of programs that focus on home health care, Dallas, TX and other states in America, that trend is no longer an issue.
Quality home health care providers are now aiming to provide an extensive aid at home including tailor-made care and assistance that were less offered in the past. Light housekeeping, cooking, transportation, meal preparation, and even personal care services are now within reach.
Is Home Care What You Need?
Through the years, home care has expanded to cater to a wider range of services. Apart from making sure that the patient does not miss any dose of their medication, aregular home care service also includes taking care of house chores like cooking, dishwashing, and laundry. But to provide aid in safety and physiological aspects, home health care has evolved, covering other unusual tasks like grocery shopping, errands running, toileting, dressing, and bathing among others. More than attending to the patient’s needs, the goal of home care is to provide 24/7 companionship and supervision for comfort and safety.
Benefits of Home Care Services
You may think home care is just another unnecessary financial burden but a survey by NAC/AARP demonstrated that majority of adult children felt like they were left with the serious responsibility to take care for their aging parents without a choice and that would usually require them at least 24 hours a week of full attention. Oftentimes, the pressure and demands of aiding care can result in burnout – a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. That being so, the study emphasized that formal services such as home care can actually address the issue by providing supplement assistance to the family members to relieve the latter’s stress.
Home health care is a beneficial choice for a lot of families. It covers all the care giving needs, an affordable solution more people are willing to resort to. Take a look at its benefits below:
- Cost-efficient. Contrary to the misconceptions, a lot of home health care like what you can find in Dallas, Texas are actually offering their services at a very reasonable rate. It is a viable and cost-efficient long term solution especially when matched with how much you might be obliged to spend for placing your aging loved one in any hospital’s long-term facility. As programs in a home health care are customizable, you can be sure that you are only charged for the services your loved one truly needs, making you enjoy the potential savings from your care budget
- Dignity is maintained. Hospitals and long-term care facilities mostly aim to provide outstanding care for the patients. However, it cannot be denied that a lot of care aspects in such facilities are unpleasant and unenviable like the sharing of rooms and bathrooms. Instead of promoting healing, the crowdedness as caregivers assist different patients in bathing and toileting can turn out to be another stress the patients would have to deal with. This is where home care wins. It maintains every patient’s dignity and provides them the privilege to establish trusting relationships while they receive the care and attention at the comforts of their own home.
- Home care is soul-soothing. Companionship is one of the unparalleled perks every home health care program specializes at. Home health care service companies truly understand the challenges and obstacles old people face day by day. Thus, they make sure they can also be leaned on when patients need to keep going amid rough times.
- Home care nurtures relationships. Survey shows that one of the common fears our elderly face about the idea of being sent to a nursing home is that once they move out, their relationship with their loved ones can weaken. For some, being admitted to a nursing home is a sign of abandonment or rejection. Home care addresses this. Folks who are able to be nursed in their own home can now joyfully continue living the life, can welcome guests and families and receive phone calls just like the usual. This promotes strengthened and nurtured relationships.
- Home care promotes safety. Aging can affect a person’s sense of balance, hearing, vision, and mobility. As a result, the older people become, the more they tend trip or fall easily. But such risks can be significantly reduced with a nurse at home to assist them and attend to their needs from time to time.
Choosing A Home Care Provider
The elderly population of today has aged in a way different than the elderly decades ago. And fortunately, the home health care industry has kept up with that change. Nowadays, home care is already one of the popular solutions for families who want to keep their parents or grandparents safe, comfortable, and happy as they age.
To make sure you are entrusting your loved one to the right home care service provider, below are some factors you have to consider:
- Certification and Other Credentials – One of the proofs that the provider is credible enough to provide the “quality home health care” it boasts of is if it has valid practicing certificates issued by regulatory boards like Medicare & Medicaid for Adults and Pediatrics along with impressive working experiences. Certification plays a critical role especially if your family member needs medical procedures on top of his nursing needs. Aside from this, credentials may also be gauged by checking the agency’s licenses, policies, insurances, and how they screen their professionals.
- Reputation –While other metrics of credibility requires access to information the agency may or may not disclose, reputation is something they have less control and manipulation of. Reviews and feedbacks are an honest proof that can lead you towards choosing the right home care provider. These should help you find out what kind of employees and caregivers the agency has. Also, a good one must know the value of trainings to ensure that its caregivers are performing at their optimum especially during emergencies and other unfavorable situations.
- Connection– How a healthcare professional nurtures and cares for her patients is another important consideration. Go for one that treats their patients with respect and dignity they deserve without invading their independence and privacy.
