With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day in the U.S. and approximately 62 million people total over 65 – or 18% of the population – the need for extra support among older adults has never been greater. At the same time, close to 80% of adults prefer to age in place. Enter home care.
Home care is personalized, daily living support that helps older adults maintain their independence at home. Home care services may include assistance like bathing, dressing, mobility assistance, errands, meal prep, light housekeeping, medication reminders, companionship, disease-specific support, and more. While the appeal of extra help around the home is undeniable, home care services provide many practical benefits as well, including:
- Comfort: Clients can receive personalized care and attention in familiar surroundings, which can improve both their physical and emotional well-being as well as improve recovery.
- Independence: Home care can help older adults improve their function and live with greater independence without having to relocate from their homes.
- Quality of Life: Home care can help people experience an increased quality of life, including faster recovery from illness or injury, better symptom management, and improved functioning. Research shows that when people are able to recover at home after a hospitalization, they recover faster. For this reason, home care services can be especially helpful for older adults transitioning home after a hospital stay, as caregivers can help with daily activities like picking up prescriptions and preparing meals that allow seniors to get the rest and recovery they need.
- Safety and Peace of Mind: Home care can help keep people safe at home and facilitate compliance with medical recommendations. At the same time, home care can give your family peace of mind. The average family caregiver spends more than 20 hours per week caring for their loved one at home, oftentimes on top of their other responsibilities associated with raising children and working a full-time job, which research shows can have an adverse impact on family’s emotional, physical and financial well-being. In-home care services are an ideal solution for older adults who may want help with daily living activities at home, but don’t want to rely on family members to maintain their independence.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Long-term care is an incremental cost that can catch many elderly adults and their families off-guard as they age, and while home care services are paid for privately by seniors, either out of pocket or from a long-term care insurance policy, home care can actually be more affordable than older adults assume. For example, the annual cost of a private room at a nursing home – a cost Medicare won’t cover – in the U.S. is more than $108,000. In contrast, home care services are often billed at an hourly rate, with most seniors only needing a few hours of extra support at a time.
A Leading Home Care Resource
As one of the oldest and most well-respected home care resources in the Mid-Atlantic region, Family & Nursing Care’s mission is to help older adults maintain their quality of life as they age. For more than 55 years, we have helped tens of thousands of families by providing access to a network of over 1,500 experienced Caregivers who can assist with a range of home care services, including:
- Activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, meal preparation, feeding, and toileting.
- Mobility assistance, including helping someone get up, walking, transferring into or out of bed or a chair, turning and positioning in bed, range of motion exercises, and more.
- Companionship, which includes taking walks, providing company at mealtime, social activities, family events and other functions, errands, accompanying on appointments, and transportation.
- Support services, such as doing laundry, washing dishes, taking out the trash, and light housekeeping.
- Nutrition and paying close attention to dietary needs, preferences, and restrictions by preparing meals and snacks, assisting with feeding, and encouraging fluids.
- Disease specific care, which can include specialized support for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Parkinson’s disease, hospice and palliative care, pneumonia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and depression.
Whether it’s arranging home care services when a sudden need arises or assisting families following a hospital discharge, our team stands ready to help 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s why 98% of clients would recommend Family & Nursing Care to a friend or family.
To learn more about Family & Nursing Care’s leading home care services, call us at 800-588-0517 or visit the Home Care Services page on our website.