Finding the Best Care From the Comfort of Your Home
With chronic diseases and an aging population on the rise, it’s no surprise that in-home supportive services have become more popular. Home care is a great alternative for those people who don’t want to move to a nursing home or who desire more autonomy in their lives but may also need companionship or more intensive medical care. While typically home care is utilized by seniors, others can make use of these services depending on their needs. Below, we’ll outline the benefits of home care services and some of the most common types of in home supportive services.
What is Home Care?
When it comes to home care, there is virtually no limit to the types of services this can encompass. Essentially home care can range from basic support services, such as companionship or help with cooking and cleaning to specialized medical care from nurses, physical therapists, doctors or other support staff.
What Are The Benefits of Home Care?
There are many benefits of in home support services, including:
- The ability to stay in your own home. Not having to leave your home means that you can stay in an environment that is comfortable and familiar and maintain your daily routines. You’ll also be able to sleep in your own bed. Being able to stay in a familiar space is especially beneficial for people with dementia.
- Individualized support and attention. When living in a residential care facility the ratio of staff to residents isn’t always optimal to provide the most focused attention. Home care is great because the support worker is there to ensure the comfort, dignity and health of the person they’re working with.
- Established schedules and routines. Since home support services are designed to fit within your life, there is a lot of control over establishing a care routine. Home care workers will customize a plan of care that meets your needs.
- Flexibility in treatment. Depending on your needs, you can adapt your plan of care. This flexibility means that if you only need weekly check ups that can be your plan or if you need part-time regular care, that can be arranged all the way up to full-time in-home care.
What Are The Top In Home Supportive Services?
Now that we understand the incredible benefits of in home supportive services, let’s take a look at some of the most common and helpful services so you can see if one may be right for you or a loved one.
Nursing Care
By far the most common in home support service is homecare nursing. As you might imagine this service involves an in-home nurse who develops a plan of care and visits their patient regularly. Some of the services they can provide include:
- IV therapy.
- Wound care and cleaning.
- General health check-ups.
- Administering and monitoring medications.
- Ostomy care.
- Pain control.
This isn’t a complete list of the services that can be provided by home care nursing, but it gives you an idea of everything that can be done at home without needing to leave the home for appointments or move to a residential care facility.
Doctor Care
While not as common as in-home nursing, doctor care can also be administered at home depending on need and location. You will likely have to check to see whether this service is available in your area.
Occupational, Speech or Physical Therapy
After an injury or an illness, some people may need support re-learning daily tasks or rehabilitating their bodies. Different therapists can help with different supports depending on the need of the patient to help them regain their autonomy or abilities. Speech therapists can create a plan of care that can help improve communication and speech in those for whom it has been impaired.
Occupational therapists are common members of an in home supportive services team because they offer wide-ranging support on everything from helping with emotional, social, physical or developmental disabilities to advocacy to helping clients relearn daily functions such as bathing, eating or dressing.
Finally, physical therapists are crucial for muscle and joint recovery post-injury or illness. Having a physical therapist on your home care team is great because it brings the service to you, which can be extra helpful if mobility is a primary cause for concern.
Personal Support Workers
Another common in home support service is the personal support worker. They are often employed by people after surgery or illness or by those who need extra support around the home to stay in their residence, such as seniors or those with long-term illnesses. Personal support workers are responsible for helping their clients perform daily tasks of living, such as eating, drinking, cooking, cleaning, using the bathroom and others. They do not typically have medical training but can make a big difference in the daily quality of life of those that they support.
Medical Social Services
Finally, medical social services are there to help connect their patient with resources in the community, provide counseling and may play a role in case management if their client's medical case is complex. This means that they can help schedule the various in home support works, for example; nursing care, an occupational therapist and a personal support worker may be needed by one client, so having medical social services help with scheduling takes a great burden off the patient.