Understanding Home Health Care: What Is it and How it Can Benefit Your Loved One
Upon reaching the elderly or senior phase of our lives, health care becomes a key aspect of our wellness and well-being. Often, our elderly family members forget or cannot maintain their minds and bodies without assistance. This is when Home Health Care becomes a vital, ongoing activity!
What does Home Health Care mean?
Being at home always inspires us to kick back and relax. For the elderly, this is essential! Seniors who experience mental stress and muscle pain, especially those diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s diseases, ought to relax, apply their minds gently, and take breaks from physical effort or strain.
Secondly, they – and the caregiver they may have caring for them – must take note of their health and well-being. Home Health Care can be parts of their routine, such as daily check-in, conversation after meals, or bathing. Once weekly check-ups are good too, where potential issues are noticed that might need further attention! Reaffirming the activity goes a long way to creating awareness of the mind and body’s condition.
For the In-Home Caregiver: Head to Toe!
Aging brings with it the potential for cognitive decline or slower healing of cuts and wounds. This may be discomforting, but getting ahead of it helps the seniors in in-home care in a big way!
Be aware of forgetfulness in general or the inability to remember where something was placed. We can engage seniors in activities to bolster their mind’s memory: it is as simple as talking to them, assuring them that you are there to help and that you can work together with them to find a thought, word, or object.
Being conscious of their skincare needs, or how long or short their hair is, and with this, playfully reminding them of keeping their skin well-lubricated daily—and saying that someday soon they will need to get their hair done! Sometimes cognitive decline may lead to frustration and stubbornness, but by being playful, you are offering good advice in a pleasing manner.
While attending to their in-home care needs, you can be aware of their mobility and make it a point to start the day by warming up their arms and legs. General health and well-being include awareness of muscle pain or tightness (which happens to everyone) and the necessary soothing, stretching, or simple extending of the limbs from time to time.
This is the perfect opportunity to identify any problems in the fingers and toes! Here is a short list of things to be aware of, and these can be incorporated into daily or weekly check-in and check-ups:
Forgetfulness
Isolation, Loneliness, or Depression
Nutrition and Hydration
Physical mobility in the fingers and arms, legs, and feet
Stubbed toes and untrimmed toenails
It is also very important to be keenly aware of the environment the elderly person lives in. Ensure that carpets and area rugs are smoothed out to avoid tripping. Move furniture so that no edges are exposed and bumped into.
Mental Health and Sleep
For the elderly, sleep is essential. As they age, certain things can impact their ability to sleep soundly without interruption.
Sleep problems can stem from being restless before getting into bed or from an illness or disorder, such as restless leg syndrome. Talk to your elderly family member’s doctor about solutions for severe sleep problems. In the meantime, encourage your loved one or in-home care patient to try the following:
Maintain a regular night-time routine that avoids exposure to harsh lighting.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or heavy (long-digesting) foods within three hours of getting into one’s bed.
In the daytime, go out into the sunlight to keep a regular circadian rhythm.
Think positive thoughts to boost overall mood and spirit. For the caregiver: there are ideas and strategies mentioned above that help with this specifically!
Do warm-ups, and exercise the amount recommended by a doctor or physician. Avoid exercising within three hours of getting into bed!
There are other things to be conscious of and notice: here is a helpful guide that brings together useful information on mental and physical health and wellness to help the one you care for feel their happiest and healthiest!
How Home Health Care Benefits Seniors
In-home care (like the elder care services provided by Comfort Keepers) combines the benefits of staying at home with attentive care that focuses on the senior’s mind, body, nutrition, safety, and emotional security.
Caregivers can interact with their patients, and engage in activities that boost memory recall, stimulate thoughts and ideas, and provide comfort and companionship. This invokes feelings of being supported and self-pride in achieving their daily tasks (however big or small) and also reduces the sense of loneliness or isolation. This holistic approach ensures seniors are cared for with dignity and compassion. It also instills a true sense of being proactive and involved, regardless of their aging or their life phase.
Regarding Dementia Care, mental activities become very important: their impact can be seen by the caregiver and even felt by the senior in elder care. If you are a caregiver of someone who requires 24-hour care, the value of Home Health Care is apparent! Physical wellness and mental wellness are closely linked, as one can and does affect the other.
Improving awareness, opportunities to take notice, and being active in mind and body wellness contributes to overall good health. Home Health Care is an essential part of this.
Dignified Senior Care: Stockton (CA)
Beyond the community activities and opportunities for people to meet and interact, residents of Stockton (CA) have end-of-life needs too! Comfort Keepers is proud to be fulfilling this need by offering elder care (in-home care/24-hour care) that is dignified, compassionate, and considerate of mental health and wellness (our caregivers are attentive to the elderly who need Dementia care/Alzheimer’s care).
If you would like more information about senior/elder care, in-home care in Stockton, or other locations in the United States of America, contact Comfort Keepers today! We’re also willing to talk to you on the telephone:(209) 208-4592.
