Senior citizens often encounter a wide range of ailments that significantly impact their day-to-day living and the quality of their lives. In some instances, family members can provide home health care for their loved ones. In other cases, however, their loved ones are unable to provide adequate care and place them in a facility, which often leaves them and their senior in a horrible predicament. Unfortunately, some of these seniors in an institutional setting, experience elder care abuse, which causes them extreme frustration and causes their loved one’s guilt and depression for having placed their loved ones in such a toxic environment.
According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of American seniors is expected to increase two-fold over the next 25 years which means that the effects of elder abuse will continue to arise as well. If you’re concerned about elder abuse in an institutional setting, you might consider a home health care situation for your senior. However, you may have some reservations about the process. Have no fear! We’ve put together a list of some of the main reasons home health care may work better for your loved one than traditional nursing homes. They are as follows:
- Seniors enjoy staying within proximity of their homes, their family’s homes as well as their family members. The presence of familiar surroundings and a familiar caregiver help them feel grounded and safe. In fact, it is a fact that senior citizens feel more comfortable in their own homes. As Dr. Geeta Nayyar, M.D. mentions in her regular column with Forbes, elders become vulnerable when plucked out of their familiar surroundings. Also, they tend to relate to the home as their haven because of the familiarity they have with everything around them. They know where the kitchen is, they know how many steps to take for a bathroom trip, etc.
- Knowing that your senior is safe at home with a skilled professional at their preferred locations enables you to work without guilt. You can take care of yourself and your own needs. By having a competent professional at home, you’ll be guaranteed that your senior will be adequately taken care of.
- Home health care costs are reasonable. Comparing the daily rates of private and non-private nursing care facilities and home care in Florida, we can easily see that home care on a daily basis is way more affordable. As the National Institute on Aging (NIA) justly indicates, the home care costs for 24 hours of health care are typically $112-192/day, as compared to the nursing home cost of $181/day and $229/day, respectively.
- An experienced caregiver can take care of your seniors’ mental and physical needs in a home care setting as well as or better than they can in an institution. They can feed, bathe and offer them companionship that will enhance the quality of their lives and give you peace of mind. Since they are only caring for 1-2 seniors (individual or a couple), the professional will not be likely to feel stress or overwhelmed. Also, vetted professionals are less likely to abuse your senior.
- An experienced and trained medical professional can help you spot potential health issues that you might miss. Problems such as memory disorders, Alzheimer’s, aging disabilities and dementia show early signs. There is a thin line of difference between normalcy and those signs, which only experienced home care professionals will be able to identify.
Caregivers for the senior citizens are a must and reduce your responsibilities a great deal. Furthermore, with a caregiver around, you can assign your responsibilities to him and spend quality time with the elderly instead. Apart from being surrounded by their loved ones and family, both the family and the elderly do need the attention of special caregivers. The Nurses Guild is one such specialized home health institution. We pride ourselves in providing exceptional home health care throughout Broward and Palm Beach Counties. We offer Medicare-certified services to support families and hold the elderlies’ hands to walk them through several health difficulties.