Home Care: Independence at Home in Wantagh, NY
The majority of seniors — people aged 65 and over — would prefer to remain home for the rest of their lives. For many, this might very well be possible, even though they may have to spend time in the hospital or some other elder care facility due to various health issues, at least for a time.
How long will depend on the person, the health factors, and so on, but, ultimately, many seniors have the opportunity to remain home for the bulk of their final years. When they struggle with various tasks throughout the day, though, does that mean you have to choose some type of elder care outside of their own home?
Of course not. That’s because home care is arguably the best option for most seniors, especially those who prefer to ‘age in place.’ What does it mean to age in place? It simply means being able to stay home, even if they have difficulties with various tasks, including bathing or toileting, going up and down the stairs, or getting out to a doctor’s appointment or even keeping track of prescription medications.
Senior home care allows them to do that.
Many seniors will turn to family first. They might have a spouse who has the physical ability to support them. They don’t think twice, and often neither does the spouse. After all, when they took their vows and said, ‘until death do us part,’ they meant it. They also meant the part where they said, ‘in sickness and in health.’
What many people don’t realize when they reach their 70s or 80s is that the body can only handle so much. When you are 75 or 80, for example, you don’t have the same strength you did in your 50s or 60s. Just as when you were 50, you didn’t have the same physical abilities you did when you were 20.
A spouse of advancing years supporting their lifelong partner getting out of bed, getting into and out of the shower, going to doctors’ appointments, getting up from a chair, and so forth is going to take a toll on. It can lead to their own physical and health challenges.
Other seniors will turn to adult children who may live close by. That is fine for a while, but what happens when the needs increase, when the requirements of assistance happens more frequently?
Those “family caregivers” will begin to wear themselves out. They will burn out. It can also affect the relationship between adult child and parent. It can completely flip the relationship upside down, turning the parent into the child and the adult child into the parent. That can cause tension in the relationship, ultimately harming what had once been a good connection.
Why senior home care?
When you choose an agency, you get experienced care. You get consistent care. Even if the primary home care aide is unable to stop by because of a family emergency, they are sick, their own child is sick, and so forth, the agency will be able to provide a replacement, which maintains consistency of support.
It also removes the tension between family members. Instead of having to put everything on the line or everything on hold to help this elderly person in your family, you can focus on being there for them as a loved one rather than as a parent or guardian.
With experienced care that you get through a senior home care agency, the elderly person may just find that quality of life improves. They may discover that there are activities he or she can still enjoy. That there’s a lot to do still in these golden years of life.