The Benefits of Elderly Home Care

The Benefits of Elderly Home Care
by Suzan Love

As your parents and grandparents grow older, you may become concerned about their safety at home. Placing them in an assisted living facility is often considered as an option. However, homecare is an alternative that has many benefits.

1. Seniors who live at home are able to maintain a level of freedom that would not be possible at an assisted living residence. For many, this freedom is synonymous with maintaining dignity, which is something many individuals fear loosing as they age. Similarly, those who receive homecare can come and go as they please-for whatever reason. They can also choose their own meal times.
2. Elderly individuals do not have to part with any of their beloved possessions if they continue to live at home. Having the things they love physically close at hand can help keep stress levels to a minimum, as those possessions are tied to invaluable memories. Seniors can also keep their pets when living at home, and caring for an animal has been scientifically proven to have positive health benefits.

3. Those who live at home can have visitors whenever they please and are not restricted by visiting hours. This can lead to more fulfilling relationships with friends and family, as they are able to visit more frequently.

4. Living at home has physical health benefits, as it is easier to avoid those who are sick. When living in a place with many people, such as an assisted living facility, one person’s illness spreads like wildfire. At home it is also possible to request that sick people visit only after they are fully recovered.

5. Home care allows the elderly to avoid the emotional stress of moving to a new place with new people and a new routine. Maintaining continuity leads to psychological wellbeing.

6. Assisted living facilities can be very expensive and, in some cases, far away from other family members’ homes, especially in less populated areas. In many cases, seniors have already completely paid off their off mortgage, which can substantially reduce the costs of caregiving at home. The stressors related to the actual moving process are also eliminated.

7. As a final point, those who live at home are often happier than they would be living at a retirement home. The familiarity and comforts of home are irreplaceable.

There are now many products and services that make living at home both feasible and affordable. Enhanced security systems, emergency panic buttons, and home delivered meals are just a few of the options to choose from. If your elderly family member wants to live at home, honoring that wish is now easier than ever before.