What to Know When It's Time for 24-hour Care
It’s one thing to ask for a little help with daily activities in the home, but getting 24-hour care can be intimidating at first.
Around-the-clock care can be needed for the following reasons:
- Post-surgery recovery
- Support of hospice and palliative care
- Chronic conditions such as dementia that may include symptoms such as wandering
- Increased fall risk
A trained caregiver can help with bathing assistance, grooming, meal preparation, toileting, medication reminders, transportation to medical appointments, and more when 24-hour care is needed.
Whatever the need, there are benefits to receiving 24-hour care in the home for yourself or a loved, either temporarily or for an extended period of time:
- Family caregivers can get much-needed rest when there is a professional caregiver as part of the team. This is called Respite Care, and it allows friends and family to take care of themselves when a loved needs overnight care as well as daytime assistance. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” and a caregiver cannot truly be helpful if they are not getting good sleep and exercise to recharge.
- When someone becomes more confined to their home due to age or illness, a companion caregiver can lift their spirits. Loneliness does not need to be added to illness and people can truly benefit from a kind smile and friendly conversation. There can be give and take in a care partnership, where someone who is in need of care can still feel valued and share their experiences and knowledge with their caregiver.
- Call it peace of mind, being reassured, having a safety plan, whatever you prefer, but it comes down to the fact that a compassionate and trained caregiver can provider more security. Illness and age can create vulnerability and someone who is in a weaker condition may need the eyes, ears, and extra set of hands for improved well-being. A falls risk assessment in the home can help to determine how simple changes can be made to make the environment safer for everyone involved in care.
- When someone is transitioning from a hospital to home or from a rehabilitation center to home, it can be reassuring to have a caregiver who is with them through all of it. This caregiver can observe any changes and share concerns with the family to communicate to the health care provider.
- Something as simple as making sure medications are taken at the correct times and doses can be the difference between a trajectory of getting better or being readmitted to the hospital. A caregiver can stay on top of medication reminders as well as meal preparation to encourage noticeable improvements.
- Not all forms of care can come to the home so that’s why it’s beneficial to have a reliable caregiver who can provide transportation to and from medical appointments, whether to a physical therapist or the primary care provider. In order to fully heal, follow-up appointments and adherence to prescribed therapies are critical.
See if 24-hour care could benefit you and your family today.
