Home Health Care
Many seniors today prefer to receive home health care instead of living in a senior citizen apartment or a nursing home. They do not want to leave their homes and as long as they can still do some things for themselves they are going to stay put. This is where the home health care comes in. The Organization will send someone in to the home to aid the senior by cooking meals, light housekeeping, washing and drying laundry, recreational activities and crafts, mail assistance, daily TLC phone calls, bathing (if necessary), activity and exercise, oral hygiene, and other duties as needed. There may also be the need to transport the patient to the doctor, grocery shop for them, companionship, and personal care such as bathing, dressing, medication reminders, etc. Many times the senior citizen can do a lot for themselves but they need companionship or transportation to and from the doctors and help with meals.
It is important to try to keep the patient active if possible and make them as comfortable as possible. Try to keep them happy. Visit with them and just spending time with them can sometimes mean the world to them. Many seniors will not eat a well balanced meal when they are alone or can not fix it themselves. Many times they will eat well if someone is there to fix it for them. There may be vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, kitchens, or even in some cases, cleaning windows that can be reached without a ladder.
Many senior citizens are very uncomfortable when they are moved into a nursing home, living skills center, or assisted living center. They do not feel the freedom they have in their homes and in many cases the patient will get sick because of the stress of the move. They are much more comfortable in familiar surroundings with their own belongings. If their health is fairly good and they do not have major health issues it is often better to let them live at home for as long as possible. It is believed that these seniors, who have the opportunity to stay in their homes for the better part of the time they have left on this earth, are generally much healthier than some that are thrust into the assisted living centers and definitely healthier than those put into nursing homes. Often times the family members will visit them more often if they are in their homes and this is better for them too. So often they are forgotten after they are put into nursing homes and often do not have any visitors at all. If the person is of sound mind and is alert, they deserve to live their lives in their own homes if that is what they want.
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