Elderly and Senior Care Services
When you are caring for an elderly family member or other loved one, the task can take a physical and emotional toll. Helping to ensure that your loved one still has a great quality of life is rewarding, but over time, the challenges of providing senior care services can become overwhelming and you may need help.
Turning to a home care provider for in home elderly care can help. We know that trusting the wellbeing of a loved one to strangers is difficult, but at Neighborly Home Care we are dedicated to preserving the health, happiness, and independence of all those in our care, and we carefully match the caregiver to your family’s needs.
We can take the burden of care off of your shoulders, while allowing your older family members to continue living at home, in peace and comfort.
Caring for The Elderly at Home Can Be A Full-Time Job
What is senior care? Simply put, senior care means fulfilling the special needs of older people, brought about by their advancing age. There is no one-size-fits-all definition of elderly care, because every senior citizen is different. Age affects everyone in their own special ways, so elderly care must always be tailored to the individual’s needs.
Some of the most common types of senior care services include:
Household Chores
For those losing mobility and physical fitness, basic household chores such as cleaning and laundry can become increasingly difficult. Often, part of elderly care revolves around seeing these chores done so that they have a clean and safe environment to live in.
Meal Preparation
Meals can be particularly difficult for seniors to prepare, if they are losing dexterity. Preparing food could even be dangerous, when cutting tools are needed to cook the meal. Also, sometimes, seniors feel that preparing meals for one is too much trouble. These factors often lead to seniors eating unhealthy foods such as frozen meals, takeout, or fast food. Proper caregiving, however, can see them eating wholesome fresh-cooked meals.
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Personal Hygiene
Hygiene is an important issue for the elderly. Both physical and mental issues can prevent proper hygiene, which is bad for both their bodies and minds. Poor hygiene increases the chances of disease, and also creates an impediment to socialization. Trained caregivers can help seniors keep themselves clean and well-groomed.
Medical Oversight
When health issues threaten senior loved ones, they often need help keeping up with their prescriptions and other health-related needs. From ensuring they are reminded to take their medications, to taking them on trips to the doctor, in home caregivers can help them remain healthy.
Errands Around Town
Unfortunately, every older person must give up the car keys eventually, and that can be a bitter pill to swallow. However, a friendly caregiver can drive seniors where they need to go, allowing them to remain mobile, do their chores, and visit with friends. Seniors will still have mobility, but without endangering themselves or others on the road.
The Advantages of In Home Senior Care Over Assisted Living
The advantages of in home senior care services for your loved one and for yourself are numerous. As long as the senior has no medical conditions which require direct doctor’s supervision, he/she will be far happier in a home care situation.
Some of the benefits include:
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Living in the home they know. Why force your loved ones to move if they can safely remain in their homes? With proper assistance, seniors can safely remain in their own space, where they are most comfortable.
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Keeping their own pets. Few assisted living homes allow for pets. By choosing 24-hour home care, they can retain the comfort of beloved animal companions.
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Easier visits from friends and family. When the senior is still at home, friends and family can more easily keep up their normal visiting patterns.
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Maintaining social connections. Does your loved one enjoy trips to the park, the local senior center, or other hubs of activity? Those connections can be maintained, safety permitting, because they can be driven by their regular caregivers. Social seniors are usually healthier seniors!
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Having a sense of independence. We value your loved one’s autonomy. Home care is the best way for seniors to feel like they maintain some control over their lives and care.
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Easing your direct responsibilities. 24-hour home care in Philadelphia allows you to remain closely connected to your loved one and his/her care, while taking care of the other important things in your life. These things include your health, your other family members, and your job, among others
Elderly Care Issues That Can Prevent Family Caregiving
Typically, a family tries to care for their own loved ones as they age. Senior care duties may be split up among the family, or one or two people may dedicate themselves to providing that care. However, caregiving can become more difficult as time goes on. Eventually, family caregivers may have trouble keeping up with their self-assigned role while also maintaining their own lives and relationships.
Some common impediments to family-based elderly care include:
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Conflicts with jobs. Family members may have difficulty getting enough time off from work to provide care.
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Personal health issues. Even if no health problems exist prior to caregiving, stress and lack of self-care can cause physical or emotional symptoms to occur. Poor health makes full time care of another impossible.
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Burnout. Caregivers are at high risk of stress, high blood pressure, depression, and other issues caused by burnout.
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Lack of training. Past a point, a senior needs a trained nurse or equivalent specialist to receive the care they need.
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Advancing dementia. Even the most caring and open-hearted of people can be overwhelmed if their elderly loved ones lose their memories, or the ability to communicate.
All of these issues can prevent family members from being able to act as full-time caregivers for their older loved ones. Fortunately, in home elderly care services are available to step in with well-trained and professional help.
Senior Care Services Available in Pennsylvania and Delaware
At Neighborly Home Care, we tailor all of our senior care services to the exact needs of each individual. The services necessary will simply depend on the senior’s current state of bodily and mental health. However, at all times, our mission is clear: to provide support for elderly individuals, while preserving as much of their independence and autonomy as is safely possible.
Toward this end, several levels of service exist.
Periodic or Part Time Care
For seniors who are only beginning to have trouble due to age, a caregiver can check in on them two or three times a week. The caregiver can verify that all necessary chores and other duties are being done, while providing a little bit of help where needed
Daily Companion Care
Your senior loved one may need a bit of help each day, and our caregivers are available to meet those needs. One or more caregivers can visit every day to help with chores or personal care tasks, run errands, accompany seniors on trips, or simply be present as a watchful companion.
24-Hour Care
With trained nurses on our staff, we can provide in-home, around-the-clock care for seniors who would otherwise need to go to a nursing home. In-home senior care can prevent the need to force your loved ones out of their homes, allowing them to live comfortably in familiar surroundings.
Respite Care
Are you providing care, and simply need a break? Respite care is the answer. We can take over your duties for a specified period of days or weeks, while you take time off for yourself. You may need time to regroup, travel for a wedding or family vacation, or simply catch up with your family’s activities. We will match our schedule to yours to minimize any disruption. Then, you can return and resume your own caregiving.
The Importance of Professional Senior Care
Many elderly residents want to live out their lives in the home they know, aging in place, surrounded by the people and possessions they care about. The right in home senior care services can make this possible.
We know that takes a lot of trust, which is why we go above and beyond to earn your trust. The requirements to be a caregiver at Neighborly Home Care are well above the industry standard, and we also offer pay and benefits which are above the standard. We are committed to providing exceptional home care services, so we employ trained, highly-vetted caregivers with existing experience and -whenever possible- certified nursing training.
If your elderly loved one needs some level of help, and you are running out of resources to help them yourself, Neighborly Home Care can provide the solution. Contact us today to start a conversation about how we can best help.