After I learned that I was living with a serious health problem, I knew that recovery would become an important part of my life. To make things easier, I started talking with my doctor about my options. He recommended working with a home health care company, and it was really cool to see how much it helped. They came to my home and worked with me, and day by day, I got a little bit better. After going through that experience, I knew that I wanted to spread the word about home health care. Check out this website for great information.
As a family member of a senior in need of home health care, you may not know where to start. You know that home health care is an option and the preferred option of your family member. What you may not know is what to consider about this care or how to narrow down the type of care that your loved one needs. Here are a few of the considerations for senior home care and what to know about each.
Nursing Services
One of the first things to consider with senior home care for your loved one is the type of nursing services they need. For example, your loved one may need extended care that is round the clock. This may be due to mobility issue or the level of their illness causing them to need more supervised care. In this case they will need a home health agency that can supply a registered nurse as well as a daily caregiver. If they need assistance with bathing and other daily issues, then you may need a companion caregiver or a nursing assistant.
Frequency of Services
Depending on the level of nursing services needed for your loved one will greatly influence the frequency of services. If your loved one needs full nursing services you may find that your options are either day time services with you providing night time care and calling for emergencies or that you have round the clock senior home care. You may only need help a few times a week and have the rest of the week of senior home care covered. When you narrow down the type of services you need, you can discuss the frequency and work out a schedule with the health care team for your loved one that works for you and them.
Prescription Care
Prescription care is something that may or may not be available depending on the type of senior home care you choose. For example, if you choose a caregiver instead of a home health care company that offers registered nursing services then you may not have prescription care. This care includes IV meds, distribution of the meds at the proper times, and handling issues with the doctor if there are issues with the prescriptions and medications. If your family member needs these services, make sure you are getting a home care group that handles this daily as needed.
These are just a few of the main things to consider when it comes to senior home care for your loved one. If you are ready to move forward in narrowing down the options, contact your local home health provider. They can assist you with answer to your questions and with obtaining the services you need for your loved one.