Aging is a beautiful process. To be able to age is a privilege and blessing in itself, yet many fear and dreaded it.
Understandable, and definitely relatable. Our bodies won’t be the same anymore, our strength and vitality will start to decrease, the things that were once easy and effortless – well, let’s just say they will all start to become a bit strenuous and difficult to do.
Not to mention the extended ageing-related illness or disability that often comes with age – diabetes, heart problems, dementia…and that’s just naming a few. To think that one day, you may even have difficulty walking or taking care of yourself is not an easy thought to swallow.
And the “taboo” that is the inevitable residential aged care facility question that runs rampant in many seniors’ mind? It is no wonder aging is often met with so much negativity and resistance, something not many would like to talk or even think about.
Well, the thing is, aging is not always (and doesn’t have to be) that bad.
The Truth About Aging
…is that it does not mean your future becomes more and more bleak as time goes on. To think you’re getting worthless and useless as you grow older is a myth, pure nonsense really, that ought to be thrown out of the window.
A few good habits like eating well and maintaining a regular exercise routine go a long way in ensuring your lifestyle remains active and exciting as you age. When you have a healthy body, naturally there are a lot of things you can do by yourself and that includes not having to go to an aged care facility.
In fact, truth is more and more seniors are able to grow old in the comfort of their own home without needing to move to an aged care centre. This is the preference of many (if not all) aging seniors and is an avenue more achievable now than ever, thanks to programs like the Home Care Package and the availability of in-home care services.
Home Care Assistance – The Solution You May be Looking For
Truth be told, home care changes the whole aging scenario. People now have the choice to age at home instead of the norm that is nursing homes being the go-to only option as is in the past.
If you‘re not familiar with the concept that is home care assistance, basically, it is any professional support services that allow a person to live safely at home.
From personal care and domestic assistance to the more comprehensive 24-hour care, dementia care and the likes, the options available are plenty and varied to help you age at home as independently as circumstances allow.
You see, strong as we might, there are just some things that we will need help in as we get older. Especially if you live alone. This includes thing like household chores assistance and meal preparation – the very basic care that many seniors engage to help make lives easier.
Even if you have family staying with you, it is always good to have someone else at home to give you companionship when your family members are out working and living their own lives. This is what home care assistance can provide, too – a person to accompany you so that you don’t feel lonely and isolated.
Types of Home Care
There are two types of home care if we are to broadly distinguish it – custodial care and home health care.
The former is non-medical in the sense that care is provided by persons who are not nurses, doctors or other medical personnel. The aforementioned personal care and domestic assistance fall into this category, but do not think that they are limited to just preparing meals and cleaning the house.
Things like helping you get around when driving is no longer an option for you, reminding you to take your medications, gardening and taking walks with you are all part and parcel of such care.
On the other hand, home health care is provided by licensed medical personnel. You will have nurses and doctors visiting you at your home regularly to check on your conditions, which is why you can still age at home even if you have certain chronic diseases (circumstances allowing). Nursing services like ventilator care, medications administration, vital signs monitoring, feeding tube care etc. make this all possible.
Even if you don’t have any chronic illnesses i.e. you may just be recovering from a sickness or recent surgery, you can still engage home care assistance in the form of after-hospital care. You will have trained personnels taking care of you, making sure you take your mediations on time and do not hurt yourself in the meantime thus reducing the chance of any hospital re-admittance.
And that is the beauty of this whole home care assistance – you get to pick and choose only the services you need, for the duration you require. It could be just a few hours a day, certain days of the week, or it could be a long-term engagement – it’s all up to you.
Conclusion
If you are reading this, chances are you’re looking for ways for yourself (or your family member) to age at home independently.
Indeed, “there is no place like home”. One wouldn’t want to leave it especially when they get old, and this is now made possible all thanks to the existence of home care services.
So yes, aging is not that scary after all – if you know what to expect and how to prepare for it. All is still within your control, but you’ll need to plan ahead. Determine what sort of help you’ll need, and research to find the right home care service provider that you think will work with you best.
One last thing, home care assistance is actually not as expensive as you may think. Contact a service provider today to find out more.
