By providing services that ease seniors’ burdens, home care services can enable them to stay home longer, maintain independence, maintain optimal health, keep a positive mental state and save money on health care.

1- Enable a Senior to Live at Home
Ninety percent of American seniors want to stay in their own home for as long as they can. Eighty percent of these people believe that they will.

As people age, they often find that things that they could once do without a second thought now require more energy. As medical changes also can create new challenges, they also may have less energy to spend in the first place.

When seniors can employ strategic help in accomplishing tasks and overcoming barriers, they are often able to remain at home longer, more comfortably and more successfully.

Whether supporting mental or physical health, or keeping up with errands, shopping, food preparation or household chores, home care services can go a long way towards a senior’s success at home.

2- Maintain Independence
By arranging for the right amount of help at the right times, a senior can remain more independent in their home.

Support for positive physical activity, such as walks, can help keep muscles strong safely. Help with household chores can enable a senior to conserve energy for what is really important. Help getting around town can keep a senior engaged socially, mentally and physically.

3- Maintain Optimal Health
Seniors often begin to have difficulty with food preparation at a certain point. Grocery shopping, food preparation and clean up can grow increasingly challenging in the presence of health changes. It becomes more difficult and exhausting, if not downright impossible, to eat right.

However, nutrition is one of the most important cornerstones of good health. Poor nutrition can lead to weakness, falls, illness, injuries and slow healing.

Home care providers can help with shopping for healthy groceries, meal preparation and clean up.

Home care providers can also help reduce safety risks. Cleaning up clutter can reduce risk of slipping and falling. Taking care of chores that challenge a person’s safety, such as taking out the garbage or changing cat litter, can also help keep the home environment safe and healthy for a senior.

Living in a safe and healthy environment is vital for maintaining optimal health.

4- Keep a Positive Mental State

Keeping a positive state of mind is important for overall health and independence. Loneliness and isolation can contribute to depression. Depression can have a number of detrimental outcomes on seniors:

• Decreased appetite
• Decreased energy
• Difficulty sleeping
• Trouble concentrating
• Difficulty remembering
• Difficulty making decisions
• Increased physical pain.

All of these challenges work against a senior’s ability to remain independent at home.

Home care services can help an elder remain socially connected, keep mentally engaged and stimulated through conversation or assistance to participate in activities of interest or help with pet care.

5- Save Money on Health Care
Strategic use of home care can help reduce health care costs as compared with a move to an assisted living or skilled nursing facility. By supporting positive health and minimizing the risk for falls, accidents and complications of poor health, a senior can avoid unnecessary hospitalization and medical bills.

Home Care can Improve Quality of Life

Home care services can improve a senior’s quality of life, health and happiness while enabling them to remain in their own home for as long as possible.

Sources
https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2018-11-16/what-is-senior-home-care

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place-growing-older-home

https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/ageing/en/index1.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/caregivers/in-depth/senior-health/art-20044699

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/depression-and-older-adults

If you are considering home care in West Houston, TX, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.

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Donna Wrabel, LMSW

Co-Owner at At Your Side Home Care

For most of us, the word "home" evokes warm feelings of comfort, security and well-being. For older adults, home also means holding tight to cherished memories and maintaining self-esteem and independence. When illness, injury or age make life a little more challenging, remaining at home in a comfortable, familiar environment encourages recovery and enhances the quality of life. Home can be defined as a private residence, an independent or assisted living facility or even a short term stay in the hospital, we recognize the additional benefits provided by a personal, professional assistant.

Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.

Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week

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