Welcome to Senior Services Guide
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Department Health Missouri Senior Services Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Department Health Missouri Senior Services. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Caring For Your Loved One With Home Senior Services
from:As the population in the United States ages, more and more families will be faced with caring for a loved one in their home. Some of these seniors may have health issues, and others may simply be retired and need help with transportation or meals. Luckily, the field of home senior services is booming and there are more and more options available for relatives to help a senior take care of himself or herself at home.
Transportation
One of the biggest issues as one ages is the loss of mobility. One may not be experiencing a debilitating illness or injury, but rather just a diminishing capacity to see or hear things, which can influence whether someone continues to drive. If you live in a city, you might be blessed with a wonderful bus or train system. If so, the senior can still move around and go shopping or run errands without much help or intervention. However, if you want to provide them with additional support in this area with home senior services, there are companies that offer senior shuttles to ferry elderly to and from particular destinations. Their times, flexibility, and schedules may vary but it’s worth finding out about.
Meals
Once there is no one else to cook for, many elderly people fail to care for their own meals properly. Or, if they have difficulty with conditions like arthritis, they may not want to exert themselves enough to cook. There are organizations that offer home senior services to provide meals. One can arrange to have meals sent to an elderly relative if it may become apparent they are not properly feeding themselves.
Companionship
It isn’t enough to take care of the bodily needs of seniors. Many seniors are isolated and need relationship in the form of regular visits or even owning a pet. If they are living alone, often they may not have regular companionship. One can hire someone to come in and spend time with the elderly person or trade living space for an in-home caregiver as part of the variety of home senior services available to choose from.
Medical or Non-Medical Home Senior Services
If a senior needs minimal medical intervention to remain at home, a home health care aide is a good option. They can come in and help with errands, housekeeping, hygiene, and monitor vital signs. In addition, they provide some companionship for the person in question. If the patient needs more medical skills, one can either become trained in administering these services if they are not too complex and do not require round-the-clock supervision. If the condition is more severe than the senior may not be able to be treated with home senior services. They may need to be moved to a nursing home or an assisted living community, but that has to be decided on an individual basis. Whatever the situation, more often than not, many seniors can continue to live at home and enjoy themselves with a little help from home senior services.