Elderly Care: Home Care vs The Alternatives

Elderly or senior citizen care is equally important as child care. Some people believe being in the senior phase is the same as being in the childhood phase. Because like children, our elderly relatives need special attention and care. They need someone to be always around to pamper them. This is why, whenever choosing home care or its alternatives, it’s important to choose wisely. If you are uncertain, then this article can help you choose between elderly care at home and the alternatives.

Importance of senior citizen care

The elderly phase is a very sensitive phase. It is very important you handle and care for seniors with utmost love and respect. Also, you provide comfort and take care of their health and well-being. 

Sometimes they will be cooperative and at times, they won’t be. So, it is important to remember that senior citizen care requires patience.

When it comes to senior citizen care for those with health conditions, ensure that they are taking medicines and are cooperative towards treatments.

Read on to learn more about your options when choosing elderly or senior citizen care.

Elderly or senior citizen care at home vs the alternatives: How to choose

Home care

Home care is the care that you provide when you live with a senior person.

However, when you choose other ways of elderly or senior citizen care that can be similar to home care, you can term them as alternatives. These alternatives provide care to your senior member while not leaving home.

The following are the types of home care that you must know:

Palliative and Hospice care

Hospice care requires specialized care for those people who are approaching the end of life.

This includes taking care of people who are suffering from long-term conditions, like cancer. What is important is providing comfort to seniors. Home care is the combination of these two types of care. 

Along with providing comfort, you also take care of their health, nutrition, and help keep them in good spirits. Also, take care of their treatments.

General home care 

General home care includes non-medical care like helping them with daily activities, encouraging and motivating them, taking care of their diet and medicines. In short, you help them meet their daily needs. In general home care, you look after the person and help him/her with utmost love and care. 

Recovery care

Recovery care requires extra efforts as the senior person is likely recovering from surgery, treatment, or injury. Healing is a long process and till that time, you have to be with them to help with whatever is required. Recovery care is temporary as compared to others as you have to deal with a person until he/she recovers. 

In case you are looking after a senior person who is injured or underwent surgery, remember, it’s just temporary. All it requires is your efforts that can speed up the recovery.

Skilled nursing care

Skilled nursing care or home health care is when you hire a nurse temporarily to provide a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. This includes changing bandages, wound dressings, intravenous treatments, and other complex nursing facilities.

Alternative care

Alternative care, as said earlier, is providing care to seniors outside the home.

The following are the types of alternative care:

Senior living

Senior living is not entirely alternative care. In senior living, elderly people who just want to let go of the responsibilities of living independently move into a senior housing community.

It is a form of an institution designed for senior people. Such living arrangements don’t have the types of services like home care but have a few services that make their life easier.

Respite care

Respite care is an emergency or planned temporary care for both adults and children. Just like home care, in respite care, senior people are provided with nursing and assisted living facilities. 

Private nursing care

Some aged people in senior living may require extra help than the staff can provide or want a caregiver or nursing staff who will give them personal care.

In such a scenario, they are given access to a home care agency or facility that helps them find and arrange for private nursing care.

Nursing home

Aged people with serious health conditions would most likely be best cared for in a nursing home. These types of facilities are also called skilled nursing facilities. In some instances, they are also known as rehabilitation facilities or long-term care facilities. Nursing homes help with more complex types of medical help. 

Elderly care at home vs the alternatives: which is the best?

Both techniques are beneficial for elderly or senior citizen care. And both take care of your senior person in the best ways possible. It completely depends on what the situation demands.

Sometimes, in some medical conditions, home care is not sufficient. Hence, the alternatives to home care can be beneficial. 

Whenever possible, it is best you try home care for your senior person. It is because only you can take care of the person very well and only you know how to do it in the best way. 

Home care provides personalized care to the patient which is very essential until their last breath. It helps them to be in the company of comfort while knowing they are in very good hands. Those hands, who are taking care of their health while helping keep them happy. 

Key Takeaway

Though some may require professional senior citizen care, in reality, not everyone can afford this in the Philippines.

Remember, no type of care is more effective than personal care. Whether, it is child care, maternity care, or elderly care, personalized care or home care works wonders. So, ensure you are there for your senior person until the end and provide them with comfort along with utmost love. 

Learn more about healthy aging here.