Most of Canada’s seniors say they want to stay in their homes for as long as possible. If your loved ones are having difficulty managing on their own, senior home care is a great option. With home care, seniors can stay in their own homes where they’re close to their friends, family members, and other familiar surroundings.
There are many different options available for senior care, depending on what your loved ones need. Here are some options that can help your loved ones remain in their own homes.
Companion Services
Many seniors struggle with feelings of loneliness. After retirement, seniors get a lot less social interaction, which can be a hard adjustment. The death of a life partner can make the loneliness even more significant. Loneliness is unhealthy, and people who are lonely have a higher risk of dying or experiencing mental or physical decline.
Senior home care is a great way to give your loved ones the companionship they need while making them able to stay in their own home. Caregivers can come to your loved ones’ home for an afternoon of chatting and participating in hobbies, like board games.
Since medical appointments happen during business hours, it may be impossible for you to get away from work to take your loved ones to their appointments. Caregivers can arrange for transportation to medical appointments and keep your loved ones company while they’re in the waiting room.
Personal Care Services
If your loved ones are having trouble with their daily personal care needs, they may feel frustrated. Aging or illnesses can make tasks that used to be second nature, like combing your hair or brushing your teeth, a difficult experience. With senior home care services, there’s no reason for your loved ones to move out of their homes to get help with these daily tasks.
A caregiver can come to your loved ones’ homes as often as needed to help them with personal care tasks. Depending on your loved ones’ needs, caregivers may be needed during the day, or they may be needed round-the-clock. Talk to your loved ones to find out how much care they’d like to have to make their daily lives easier.
Homemaker Services
Are your loved ones frustrated that their homes aren’t as clean as they used to be? Keeping a house clean is a lot of work for anyone—combined with the health problems that can accompany aging, it can become very difficult. Senior home care services can help your loved ones keep their homes in tip-top shape.
Homemaker services can be customized based on your loved ones’ needs. For example, they may only want help with the more labour-intensive chores, like vacuuming the carpets, changing the linens, or doing laundry. Other seniors may need help with a wider variety of chores like dusting and tidying up.
Shopping and meal preparation are other areas where caregivers can help your loved ones. If your loved ones are having trouble getting to the grocery store and can’t prepare healthy meals, caregivers can pick up ingredients and help with meal preparation.
24/7 Care
If your loved ones have a condition like Alzheimer’s or dementia, they might need round-the-clock care. However, they may not want to move out of their homes to get it. Senior home care is available 24/7, so you can rest assured that your loved ones are safe and taken care of, even when you can’t be with them.
Round-the-clock care can include all of the previously mentioned services, or additional services that your loved ones need to stay healthy at home. If your loved ones’ conditions change, the level of support can change to continue meeting their needs.
