As people get older, it is only natural for them to need some more help and support with everyday tasks, healthcare, and more. If you have an older parent or relative and have noticed that they are struggling with things in their everyday life more often, then you may be wondering what your options are when it comes to helping them get the support that they need with it.
While it can be a nice idea for family members to come together and help a senior relative out, it’s not always feasible if you are working full-time and have your own family to look after too. Making sure that your relative gets the daily support and care that they need can involve moving them to a senior living facility or nursing home, but the fact is that most seniors prefer home care wherever possible.
7 Reasons Why Seniors Choose In-Home Care
Remain At Home
The truth is that your relative has probably worked hard for the home that they are in, they are comfortable and have good memories there. Most seniors prefer elderly home care as it allows them to remain in a comfortable and familiar setting rather than moving around and setting up a home somewhere else.
Change and moving home are difficult at any stage in your life but it can be particularly hard for seniors who may be very comfortable where they are. Encore Care Givers is a home caregiving company that understands the importance of staying in a familiar and comfortable place for seniors and ensure that your relative will have access to caring, professional caregivers who can visit them on a regular basis in their own home to provide the support that they need.
Close to Family and Friends
If your senior relative has family and friends in the area, then it would be understandable that they are reluctant to move anywhere else. While a senior living facility might be a nice idea, this could involve moving to an entirely different area where your senior does not know anybody and will need to build a new social life, which can be quite daunting and even stressful at times. If your senior relative wants to stay close to their neighbors, friends, and family members in the current area where they live then getting at-home care is going to be one of the best ways to make sure that this happens.
Keep Pets
Another reason why many seniors prefer in-home care is if they have a pet at home. Moving a pet can be stressful, especially for pets like cats who often become comfortable in a certain home and can struggle to adjust to somewhere new. Along with this, many senior care facilities, particularly nursing homes, may not allow residents to have a pet and it is very understandable that your senior relative might not want to have to give up their four-legged friend. If your relative has a pet at home that helps with companionship and provides them with a sense of purpose, then it’s always best to consider home care for as long as possible.
Keep to a Routine
Like most people, seniors have their own routine that they might want to stick with for as long as possible. Even when retired, they may have set things that they do each day or week that brings some structure to their life and helps them get out and get involved in different activities. Moving to a senior living facility or similar could upset your relative’s routine which can take some time to adjust to and may impact their mental health and wellbeing.
If your relative is happy in their current home and with their present routine, then getting support for them at home can be one of the best options to consider rather than uprooting them.
Get More Personalised Care
Another benefit of home care that has led to many seniors preferring this option is that the care and support that they get are more personal to them. Home caregivers visit their clients at home and can offer support with anything that is needed at the time, unlike senior care facilities where there might be a team of caregivers who are looking after and supporting several different residents at the same time. This allows your relative to build a relationship with their caregiver or caregivers and get the support that is tailored to their individual needs.
Stay Independent
Home care is the best option for a senior who wants to stay as independent as possible for as long as possible as they get older. There is no denying the importance of independence for seniors when it comes to improving their mental health and wellbeing. Even when a person has mobility issues and may not be able to do as much as they used to when they are younger, they still like most of us prefer to be able to do whatever they can for themselves. With home care, your senior relative will be able to have a more independent life and carry on doing what they can by themselves for as long as possible.
Reduce Pressure on the Family
Many seniors might feel that they are a burden on their family as they get older and need more help with different things. And while you may not feel the same way and are happy to help them out, there is no denying that having a home caregiver who visits your relative on a regular basis will help to take the pressure off other relatives who may have to fit in things like working full-time or bringing up their family when caring for their senior relative. If you are in a situation where you want to provide more one-to-one support to your relative but are unable to do this on your own due to your own commitments, then a home care service can help.
When it comes to senior care, there are lots of benefits of in-home care that make it an option lots of seniors prefer.
Jenny
Wednesday 12th of October 2022
A lot of older people these days have lost friends and family are spread out. Many are lonely because their friends and neighbours are also old and sick also so find it difficult to get out. They sit Infront of the TV which is in the main rubbish. Doctors won't do home visits, bus services almost non existent and taxis expensive on a working class person's pension. The mind starts to go and a lack of friends to chat to encourages it. The old and frail helping the old and frail. When the dementia settles in the isolation encourages all sorts of weird and scarey things. They lose the ability to differentiate between a telephone and t.v. remote. No idea of date, day or time. No idea that their paid carer cooked them a meal and left sandwiches for later. 2 or 3 opened bottles of milk sour despite labels writing order of opening and instructions to put it back into the fridge after using. No idea that food has gone bad. . Stools spread about the bathroom because these once proud spotless people haven't the strength or mind to clean up properly. The health care system can't afford tó have them in nursing homes and the older people have to have a fall or something worse to get referred . Dementia agencies all want to feel useful by offering aids that dementia ppl can't learn to use. They all ask the same questions and offer the same aids etc. Well not all affordable either. Carers put up with them so that if anything happens to the old person it can't be said that they neglected their loved ones. Aids aids aids is all they offer and advice which is so off the wall. Put pads under the mattress which will call the family carer, who lives a few miles away when the person gets out of bed. Dementia sufferers are up and down many times in the night. Alarm the door and get a call when it's been opened for a few minutes when as said dementia sufferers don't remember to shut the door. Some are too frail too go further than the door but in their restlessness stagger to get some air or a glimpse of life or even wander off if capable.They imagine people have broken into their home and taken missing things that the sufferer can't find. Forget to turn the lights on when it's dark and switch the heating off and on a random so there is a danger of hyperthermia. The cycle goes on. Family carer gets older. Physical disabilities make it difficult to help the same. Stress and guilt cause mental stress and then the carer can't think straight and feels senility coming on. Still having to drive when shattered and not alert. Still the old person is depending on family carer for their basic needs until the carer has to pull back and then the older person suffers. Life for old people in the UK. I think your world is privileged. Write advice for the people who can't access the privileges that you talk about. I'm sorry but so many people who offer advice don't really live in the real world.