Defining Home Care.

Understanding Your Options

Home Care is the Preferred Choice of 85% of Retirees of Age 50+

In-Home Care is a service that assists those in need to continue living and celebrating life from the comfort of their own home. Home care is a model of care that includes both professional and informal support networks that include family, neighbors, and friends. To remain independent, these individuals construct your ‘Care Team’ which work together to meet your goals and expected outcomes. At some point, you may determine that a professional in home care company is needed to join your Care Team.

Considering your options

When selecting a HomeCare services company, you will have many questions. The first thing to understand is that HomeCare services vary from facility-based options. Chances are if you’re researching senior care you’ve heard a lot about senior housing options such as a nursing home, assisted living community, adult day care, retirement community, or continuing care retirement community (or CCRC). These elderly care options all have unique benefits, however, at home care is often the preferred choice for seniors who wish to age in place at their own home. Your financial, social, and health situation will often determine which environment you choose. Depending on your loved ones needs, you may opt for her to receive non-medical in-home care to provide her with companionship and supervision throughout the day when you’re unable to attend to their needs.

If your goal is to remain at home, we are caregivers who can help

When families choose the at-home option of aging they are often choosing to keep the family together. While making the decision to age at home is a great first step, there are many variations of home care and in home support services that you should know about. As you research your options, start by understanding the variety of home care options available in your community:

Home and Community Based Services: In home supportive services can be made available to seniors and disabled adults that align for one mission – to help those with physical or mental limitations to live in their own home. Some are free, some are paid by the government, non-profits, or other businesses depending on qualification and need.

HomeCare Registry: Also known as the Consumer Directed Model or a Registry, this model of home care puts families and clients in control of their care. You receive services from professional caregivers, often Home Health Aides (HHA) or Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), who are in the profession of caregiving and have many years of experience. It is common for Home Care Registries to refer caregivers who have 15-20 or more years of experience assisting with the non-medical needs of their clients.

Home Health Agency: A home health agency is usually a medical variety of home care and provides mainly skilled care, physical therapy, and occupational therapy for homebound patients. Usually funded by Medicaid, this payment source will only pay for skilled care for a limited amount of time and the home health aides (HHA) must follow a prescribed treatment of medical support as directed by a physician. Home Health Care may include home health agencies, medical equipment suppliers, technology services, hospice, social, and therapeutic providers. Please keep in mind that if you opt for a non-medical home care agency that these services may not be covered under Medicaid.

Private Hire or Independent Providers: Usually this service involves the family sourcing, screening, and hiring a caregiver directly. This process can be risky as the recruiting time is very resource intensive and opens more possibilities that you could hire an unqualified aide.

Regardless of the type of HomeCare service you are researching, non-medical home care is a key part in supporting the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as dressing, bathing, & meal preparation, that will enable you or a loved one to stay at home. Our offices support clients with personal care, homemaking, and companionship services to keep you safe, comfortable, and in control of your options.

Home Care Assisted Living Choice for Senior Living HomeCare

About HomeCare Senior Living

At HomeCare Senior Living we understand that caring for relatives can be rewarding but also stressful, time consuming and emotionally exhausting. It is difficult for families to juggle work, children and other obligations and still find time to properly care for an aging parent or loved one. HomeCare Senior Living provides non-medical assisted living services from just a few hours per visit up to 24/7 for seniors and people with disabilities. The mission is to help seniors and people with disabilities preserve their quality of life and remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. We do this by providing non-medical companionship, caregiving and homemaking services.

How to Decide Between In-Home Care and Assisted Living

Many families struggle every day to make decisions about the best living situation for their aging parent. Most seniors, if given the choice, would choose to remain in their own home for as long as possible, and most families want to respect that choice. What is it that makes staying home possible? This is very subjective and varies in each situation. Many family members or caregivers have a threshold - an event in which they know that living at home is no longer an option, yet others are absolute in their commitment to keep their loved one at home no matter the circumstances. There are many options, some of which people don't always think about:

Questions to Ask Yourself

What are the wishes of your loved one?
Do they live alone?
Is there a way to improve the safety of the home?
Is there someone who could move in with them?
Is there someone they could move in with?
Could care or supportive services be brought in to keep them safe, well-fed, and healthy?
Would they benefit from having regular meals prepared for them?
Do they need medical care?
Do they need medication reminders?
Have they visited any communities that could be options?

Weighing In-Home Care Options

Continue living in their home.
Move in with an adult child.
Have an adult child or other family member move in with them.
Hire a live-in caregiver.
Hire a part-time caregiver or home health care agency for oversight.
Increase socialization and sign them up for an adult day program.
Use a meal delivery service like Meals on Wheels.

Weighing Senior Care Options

Move into an independent living community.
Move into a continuing care community.
Move into a residential care home.
Move into an assisted living community.

Seniors who live alone often experience social isolation and poor nutrition which contributes to cognitive decline, health problems, depression and a lower quality of life. Many families hire home care aides, arrange for Meals on Wheels or other meal delivery services and use adult day services at senior community centers to provide a healthy environment for seniors who live at home.

Including your loved one in the decision and finding a solution that all family members can feel good about may take considerable research, time, and the support of a professional. However, knowing you gave this significant decision the consideration it deserves allows everyone to move forward feeling good about the choice.

If your decision is to try or continue In-Home Care vs. moving towards Assisted Living, we sincerely hope HomeCare Senior Living will become your choice for in-home care services.