When it comes to hiring a caregiving agency or having a loved one transition into a facility, most people consider it an either-or proposition. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Spouses or family members frequently hire a caregiving agency to improve the quality of life and general wellbeing when their loved ones are in a facility.
Considering Hiring A Caregiving Agency For An Elderly Loved One Living In A Facility?
Regardless of the quality of a facility, there is no way that they can attend to each individual on a personal level the way they advertise. In our experience, most facilities – be they skilled nursing facilities or assisted living communities – do their very best. However, nothing compares with the personalized and attentive care provided by professional home care aides.
Whether your loved one will be staying in a part-time skilled nursing care facility to recover from a surgery, hospital stay, or extended illness – or your loved one has recently transitioned from living at home to a facility – we recommend hiring a caregiver to ensure the client receives the best care possible.
5 Reasons A Caregiver Benefits A Senior Living In A Facility
Here are five benefits your loved one receives when paired with a caregiver of their own while living in an assisted living facility or residential care situation:
Companionship that’s all about your loved one
Did you know companionship services are the foundation of most caregiver/client relationships? Hiring a caregiver as a companion means your loved one has a person wholly dedicated to keeping them company. Based on your loved one’s interests, our companions spend one-on-one time doing all kinds of things:
- Reading together
- Watching shows
- Playing games/cards
- Listening to music
- Singing
- Dancing
- Taking walks
- Eating meals
- Looking at photo albums, family movies, and memorabilia – and listening to the stories that go along with them
- Going on outings
- And more
Knowing their companion is coming on specific days can means your loved one has something to look forward to beyond the normal day-to-day activities geared to the median.
Food beyond the institution
One of the biggest complaints we hear from clients living in facilities is the lack of food variety. Even if the food is good, the variation and availability of choice are limited. This can become frustrating. The good news is that our meal preparation and planning services can be used to support your loved one living elsewhere. We can bring them homecooked meals, based on their dietary guidelines. Best of all, they can choose the menu, which means they’ll eat with more enthusiasm.
And, of course, as long as they are physically able our caregivers can also take them to their favorite restaurants or bring meals in from their favorite places.
Get out and about in the community
If your loved one is able, our caregivers can take them out into the community. As mentioned above, this can be something as simple as enjoying a meal together at a favorite restaurant. However, we can also take them to the park, to a movie, or to attend their regularly scheduled religious services or social engagements.
If your loved one is bedbound, we can use their computer, tablet, or television to connect them with religious services that are broadcast online. This may seem like a small thing, but you’d be amazed at how much joy our clients get when they are able to remain connected and engaged with their communities, despite the fact they no longer live at home. In many cases, our services and ability to keep seniors connected with their sense of self is the difference between sinking into a depression and finding meaning and purpose in life.
Eliminate the risk of elder abuse
Again, we want to say that most facilities we’ve worked in do their best to care for their residents. However, there is no doubt that the less connected a senior is to his/her family or network, the higher the risk of elder abuse. Predatory employees look for residents who don’t have visitors or whose families largely ignore them.
Some of the risk factors for elder abuse include:
- Isolation from friends, family, or a support network;
- Under-staffing, staff burnout, and stressful working conditions
- Current and untreated mental illness – especially dementia
If you live out of town or across the country, using a caregiver for assisted living or other residential facilities protects your loved one. Anyone who would consider taking advantage of their vulnerability will give up the cause because they know the senior is being looked out for.
Hiring a caregiving agency can help keep them physically active and fit
If you’ve visited your loved one recently, odds are you’ve seen lots of sedentary people. While many facilities offer exercise programs, they can’t make their residents take advantage of them. When you combine situations such as depression, lack of activities your loved one is interested in, lethargy from a poor diet (see #2), or general feelings of loneliness, you often see a sedentary lifestyle.
Our caregivers are there to get your loved one out of that rut. Have a bed/chair bound senior? That’s not a problem, our caregivers are happy to lead them and participate in exercises they can do in their rooms or outside in their wheelchair on a beautiful day. If they are physically able, our caregivers can pick them up and take them to their favorite senior yoga or water exercise class, not to mention walks in the park, accessible hikes, or “field trips” to places they love to go. All of this keeps loved ones far more mobile and physically active than they would be otherwise.
HomeAide Home Care Is For Seniors In Facilities
The dedicated staff at HomeAide Home Care provides companionship services both in the home and in a facility. We guarantee your loved one’s quality of life will exponentially improve when you hire us to provide companionship, inspiration, and fun. Contact us to schedule an assessment and learn more about how our services improve the lives of our clients.
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