Examples Of Senior Care That Can Be Done At Home

If you are a member of the "Sandwich Generation" where you find that you must split your time between an aging parent and your own family, you already know how difficult it is to do it all. Fortunately, you have the option of choosing an appropriate amount of assisted care for your parent (such as from ComForcare Home Care - Aurora, CO), which will allow you more quality time with your loved ones. In addition, there are many types of care available today, so you can customize the experience to both your needs and the needs of your parent.

Home Care Aides

It is often surprising to discover how many types of care there are for patients to receive at home. For instance, you are likely aware of the need for Home Health Aides (HHA's) and Certified Nurse's Aides (CNAs) Because they both usually only have a limited amount of medical training, their skills are often best utilized with personal care, transportation and general supervision.

In this instance, you can hire a CNA or HHA to assist your parent with feeding, dressing, bathing and they are often available to provide transportation to doctor's appointments. It is important to point out that even if your parent has no cognitive or physical challenges that would limit their ability to care for themselves, aides can help to make the situation easier.

Specifically, if you worry that your parent will not eat a balanced meal or that they would forget to turn the stove off, the presence of an aide with them at home for even brief periods of time could be ideal.  

Accessing Therapies At Home

Physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapies have all had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the health and ability to function after illnesses, accidents, surgeries and other life-changing events. Unfortunately, many senior citizens do not take full advantage of all the services they could benefit from and even older individuals who start therapies may not successfully complete them. It is also becoming more popular to use physical or occupational therapy to improve the strength or balance of senior citizens, in order to prevent accidents.

As a result,you can elect to hire therapeutic professionals to see your parent at home. A physical or occupational therapist might only come once, in order to diagnose your parent's weaknesses and then the aides would return regularly to provide the necessary exercises. Whenever possible, patients and their caregivers are given exercises they can do alone and patients who work harder at their recovery often recover faster.

Speech and cognitive therapy work similarly and may even be combined. Braces for arms and legs can often be provided and fitted at home, with the assistance of the therapist. 

In conclusion, modern medicine and technology has made it possible to recover at least some strength and abilities that were lost through aging or as the result of health problems. Parents who stay at home and can avoid institutional care are often happier and healthier, so whatever can be done to safely keep them at home whenever possible should be considered. 

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