Most older people desire to remain in their current residences for as long as feasible. However, as people get older, many struggle with everyday activities.
Even though family members and friends might be willing to help, they will find it more and more difficult to help as their needs increase. There are difficulties in keeping older people at home, but various services can lessen the strain on family caregivers, increase seniors’ independence, increase their safety, and enable them to age in place successfully.
The following list covers common assistance needs for seniors and recommendations for companies and nonprofits that can offer such services.
Home care services include:
Household Maintenance
It takes a lot of effort to maintain a household. You might look into the laundry, shopping, gardening, housekeeping, and handyman services if you need help keeping up. Financial and healthcare management may also be useful if you have problems paying bills and keeping appointments.
Running Errands, Shopping Assistance, and Transportation
Among the companion services offered by home care firms are trips to the grocery store, the doctor, and other errands. In addition to offering door-to-door service and transportation, a hired companion or home health aide can assist with appointments or shopping. If necessary, they can even take notes during appointments. The aide can go shopping for the client and bring back what they need if they are housebound or do not want to leave home.
Money Management
Any age group can find it complicated to manage their finances. Budgeting and bill-paying might become difficult or even impossible as a loved one matures. It’s vital to ensure that an elderly loved one is at ease with and competent in handling their money because debt, excessive spending, and late or unpaid payments can have serious effects. If not, enlisting the aid of a financial counselor, care manager for the elderly, or daily money manager can assist in keeping them in sound financial standing. Just be sure the tips and recommendations are coming from a reliable source.
Personal Care
Personal or custodial care includes assisting with daily tasks, dressing, bathing, or preparing meals. Home health aides can offer personal care services for a few hours per day or live-in care available 24/7. Additionally, they could offer sporadic support with tasks like monitoring blood pressure or reminding patients to take their medications.
Healthcare
Professionals with the necessary training, including occupational therapists, social workers, or home health nurses, can offer some healthcare services at clients’ homes. Contact your insurance company or health provider to determine what coverage is available. However, you could have to pay some expenses out of pocket. Home hospice care is an option as well.
Meal Preparation
Many home care services offer personal care aides that can plan, shop for, and prepare meals from scratch. Cooking and recipe exploration are popular pastimes for senior citizens. For older adults who live alone, the social aspect of sharing meals is very advantageous. Even if an assistant doesn’t come over often, they can make large quantities of handmade food and store it for later reheating.
Day programs
While giving your carers a vacation, day programs or adult day care can keep you occupied with daily activities and interaction. While some daycare programs focus mostly on social interaction, others offer some health services or are more focused on certain conditions, including early-stage Alzheimer’s.
The Most Recommended Home Care Service Providers
To give you an idea of which home care providers to consider, we compiled some of the most recommended and top companies from trusted sources.
2022 Best Home Care Companies
AgingInPlace.org surveyed most of the leading national home care agencies and came up with recommendations to help people find home care for themselves or their loved ones.
For personal care: Nurse Next Door
Reasons to consider:
- It offers specialist care for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
- Review sites give it high ratings.
- Rigorously screens potential caregiver candidates.
- Has a program called “Happier Aging,” which emphasizes mental health.
For Companion Care: Seniors Helping Seniors
Reasons to consider:
- Prioritizes hiring senior citizens for employment like caregivers.
- Rated highly in online reviews.
- Services offered include assistance with planning and long-distance check-ins.
For Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care: Home Instead
Reasons to consider:
- Has a grant program that subsidizes Alzheimer’s care for families needing financial support.
- The CARE program instructs carers in every aspect of Alzheimer’s care.
- Franchises conduct a thorough screening process on potential caregivers.
For Specialized Care: Home Care Assistance
Reasons to consider:
- Competent teams manage care, and the caliber of the caregivers is constantly evaluated.
- Uses the most recent research to inform its treatment plans.
- Some of the industry’s most stringent screening procedures.
For Pre- and Post-Operative Assistance: Visiting Angels
Reasons to consider:
- The Ready-Set-Go Home program is focused on post-hospitalization care.
- Maintains a strong emphasis on the social components of care while implementing a program to increase client social participation.
- Offers additional programs designed with people with Alzheimer’s and those nearing the end of their lives in mind.
- It can offer consistency across all phases of aging.
For Transportation Services: Comfort Keepers
Reasons to consider:
- Offers free home emergency response systems to customers.
- Additionally offers its specially created grandPad mobile gadget to clients.
- Along with transportation, it offers a full array of in-home care services.
- Provides customers with a GrandPad mobile tablet that has been carefully built.
For Travel Companion Services: FirstLight
Reasons to consider:
- Provides specialist post-surgical treatment,
- Provides a website for friends and family to check on your care
- It can provide clients with a medical alert system for more protection.
- Offers a medical alert system and an online care management system.
For Concierge/Private Nursing Care: Senior Helpers
Reasons to consider:
- Offers customizable, client-tailored care solutions.
- Private duty care is made available to assisted living residents.
- Also provides visits for older people living alone to provide peace of mind.
For Monitoring Service: Touching Hearts at Home
Reasons to consider:
- It gives caregivers professional training in caring for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
- In addition, there are transit options and frequent check-ins.
- Highly regarded in an internet forum.
For Live-In and 24-Hour Care: Homewell Senior Care
Reasons to consider:
- It offers flexible hourly care.
- It provides a complimentary introductory consultation to assess your care needs.
- Rated highly in online forums.
- It offers couples the same level of care as it does for individuals.
For End-Of-Life Care: Interim Healthcare
Reasons to consider:
- It offers supplemental services for people nearing death, like pet therapy and bereavement support.
- Additionally offers a comprehensive variety of home care services and end-of-life care that is especially suited to those with Alzheimer’s.
Top 10 Home Health Providers
Each year, a trusted global analytics company – LexisNexis Risk Solutions, compiles an annual list of the leading U.S. home care and hospice providers based on the industry-leading LexisNexis MarketView claims database.
Here are the top 10 home health providers based on its recent list:
- Kindred Healthcare, Louisville, KY
- Amedisys, Baton Rouge, LA
- LHC Group Inc., Lafayette, LA
- Encompass™ Home Health & Hospice, Dallas, TX
- AccentCare Inc., Dallas TX
- Bayada® Home Health Care, Moorestown, NJ (+1 from 2019 rankings)
- Brookdale Senior Living Solutions, Brentwood, TN (-1 from 2019 rankings)
- Elara Caring, Addison, TX (+1 from 2019 rankings)
- Interim HealthCare® Inc., Sunrise, FL (+1 from 2019 rankings)
- Trinity Health at Home, Livonia, MI (-2 from 2019 rankings)
Bottomline
Because individuals live and remain active for much longer than they did just 50–100 years ago, the old population is aging differently than it did then. As a result, home-based care is crucial because it offers more opportunities than ever for seniors to age in place.
Elderly care requires a great deal of focus. However, such care appears difficult to deliver given our society’s growing busyness. Fortunately, home health care is practical and provides individualized care you can rely on.
The challenge has been met by home care providers, who now offer more options for care and support at home than ever before, mostly benefiting the older population.