According to a recent public health survey, up to 50% of all nursing home residents could live on their own if they had access to home health services. Other studies show that the elderly stay in better emotional and physical shape if they live independently. Home health care in Charleston is appropriate for an elderly person who needs help getting around the home, bathing, preparing meals, and getting exercise.
Long-term care is not always a reasonable solution. If a person needs to be medically supervised every day, the difficulty of scheduling different care appointments can make home health care impractical and costly. In many cases, home health care in Charleston requires contributions from family members. Those without close families may not thrive in a home care situation.
What is Home Care?
This term covers a variety of personal and medical services provided to dependent elders at home. Home health care in Charleston makes it possible for many people to stay at home rather than move to a residential center. Depending on where you live, home care and related services could include:
1. Health care (physical, nursing, and rehabilitative therapy, medication, and monitoring)
2. Personal grooming (help with hygiene, bathing, getting out of bed, exercise, and dressing)
3. Dietary (cooking, meal planning and prep, food shopping, and delivery)
4. Housekeeping (shopping, cleaning, and home repairs)
5. Socialization (transportation, companion services, planning, and scheduling)
Not every elder will use all of the above services, and not all communities offer them. Even if all of these services are available, a person may not be able to get everything they need from one program. Community aid organizations, senior centers, family, friends, and informal caregivers fulfill the extra needs. A geriatric care manager can establish and orchestrate a care program for an elder who requires different services.
One of the biggest benefits of home health care is that it allows elders to keep a measure of independence and stay in a familiar environment. Family members can better control the level of care received, but they must work to find services, schedule appointments, monitor the elder’s needs, form a budget, and change things as necessary. For more information, contact Care For Life.
