Home Care
What is Home Care?
Home Care provides supportive, non-medical assistance and companionship for seniors who can no longer perform the activities of daily living on their own or who crave conversation and interaction.
Home Care, also known as In-Home Care, is a term that encompasses a variety of services for seniors who want to age in place, as opposed to receiving care at an Assisted Living, Memory Care Community, or Board and Care Home. Home Care provides supportive, non-medical assistance and companionship for seniors who can no longer perform the activities of daily living on their own or who crave conversation and interaction.
Since many people prefer to age in place, Home Care is a popular, convenient way for aging adults to receive the type of monitoring, companionship, and ready assistance of home aides without the stress of moving into a residential living community like Assisted Living (AL). For these multitudes of reasons, millions of elderly people in the U.S. opt for Home Care services.
What Services Does Home Care Provide?
There are many different types of Home Care, from general assistance by an aide for a few hours a week to more intensive care 24 hours a day.
Depending on the individual’s needs and medical condition, home aides can assist with light tasks such as helping adults bathe and use the toilet to more serious tasks, such as monitoring post-surgery recovery and skilled nursing for more serious medical conditions.
Below are the two different categories, Home Care and Home Health Care, that range from personal caregiving by aides to more specialized medical care by skilled nursing aides:
Standard Homecare
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Assistance with ADLs and maintaining personal hygiene
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Assistance with walking and issues with mobility
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Grocery shopping and cooking meals
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Transportation to medical appointments, errands, and social activities
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Housekeeping and cleaning
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Overseeing medication (but not administration)
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Companionship and giving family members respite from caregiving
Home Health Care
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Skilled nursing, first aid, and caring for wounds
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Assistance with post-surgery recovery
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Medical administration, including injections and blood withdrawals
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Assistance with maintaining and cleaning feeding tubes, catheters, respiratory devices, and oxygen tanks
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Monitoring of chronic conditions and assistance
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Providing physical therapy and/or occupational therapy
Interested in Learning More About Home Care?
Check out our comprehensive guide. We answer the most common questions and provide you with detailed answers about Home Care.
Read the GuideWhen does an aging parent or relative need Home Care?
There are several signs that an aging adult may require more help and monitoring daily.
Particularly when s(he) has trouble getting up in the morning, walking unsteadily, or preparing meals, these are all stressful difficulties that a caregiver can relieve. For those who are caring for elderly parents at home and are finding it difficult to continue, hiring Home Care can also provide a necessary respite for them. Caregivers can provide a sense of emotional well-being for seniors experiencing loneliness or depression at home, as well as serve as a driver for grocery shopping and other activities or errands.
Other times, adults who are returning from a hospital or nursing facility may also require at-home help, especially if advised by professionals that living alone is no longer safe for them.
Here is a list of signs that Home Care may be the next step:
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Trouble walking or moving around easily, including going to the bathroom, getting dressed in the morning, and other ADLs
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Inability to keep up personal hygiene and cleanliness. S(he) may shower infrequently or stop shaving or maintaining hair
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Weight loss or other physical changes and injuries like bruises that might indicate a fall
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Significant forgetfulness and memory problems
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Disinterest in hobbies that used to be enjoyable, which may indicate an underlying depression
In addition to finding senior living options, Placement Helpers can assist you with helping seniors remain in the comfort of their own homes.
We partner with some of the best home care agencies in the area, who can provide high‑quality, trustworthy caregiving services to your loved ones. Whether you are looking for 1‑hour, 4-hour, or 24-hour care at home, we can connect you with our local partner agencies.
Call to speak with a Placement Helpers senior care advisor
