Adult children worry about the safety and well-being of their elderly parents … especially if they live in a different state than the parents. It can consume their thoughts making it extremely difficult to focus on other important demands of their lives. A November 2014 article written by PBS News Hour mentioned that by 2050, 27 million people will need some type of long term care due to the growing population of baby boomers who will need care. Traditionally, long term care takes place in a retirement community, assisted living, skilled nursing facility or memory care center. More Americans are choosing to age at home preferring to receive care in their own home setting. However, trusting a stranger to care for an elderly parent does not come so easily for adult children.
There are two types of care that can be provided in the home … home healthcare and home care.
Home Healthcare – are services that are short-term, prescribed by a doctor, and are designed to help a patient recover from an illness, injury, or hospital stay. The care is provided by a registered nurse or specialized clinician that lasts up to an hour. Duties may include wound care, physical therapy, colostomy care, pain management, catheter care, gastric tube care, ventilator care, prescription management, etc. Home healthcare is covered 100% by Medicare, when qualifying conditions are met, or by a major insurance plan such as Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Home Care – are services that are long-term, provided by a certified nurse aide (CNA) or professional caregiver to help individuals with a chronic illness, injury, or disability. The care can be provided on an ongoing basis on a schedule that meets a client’s needs, up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including possible live-in care. It can enable, safety, security, independence and help manage an ongoing medical condition and avoid unnecessary hospitalization. Duties may include activities of daily living (i.e., dressing, bathing, grooming, toileting, bed transfers), assistance with managing tasks around the house, medication reminders, transportation to doctor visits, meal planning, fall prevention, light housekeeping and companionship. Home care is covered by long-term care insurance, Veteran’s Administration benefits, or private pay.
Homewatch CareGivers (HWCG) has over 30 years of caring for the whole person, not just their condition. HWCG carefully screens its professional caregivers to ensure that they not only have the credentials to perform the day-to-day duties, but possess the compassion, kindness, and desire to deliver care as if the patient was a member of their own family. HWCG understands that life is all about relationships. Every single person at HWCG … from its owner down to the office receptionist … develops a relationship with the patient and their family.
Trust is key to any relationship. Patients must trust the home care provider with its integrity, delivery of care, commitment to excellence and the professional caregiver with their safety and well-being. The professional caregiver must engage and bond with the client in the spirit of developing trust while providing exceptional, dignified care.
Many HWCG clients claim their caregiver “feels like an extended member of my family.” The adult children have confessed that although not sure at the beginning, they wished they knew about home care services much sooner. It would have made their lives easier and they could have focused on other important demands of their lives.
