Dispelling Common Myths About Home Care

Of all of the different types of senior care options available for elderly adults today, one of the most misunderstood care options is home care. While many seniors ultimately find that home care is the best option for them, as they enjoy the perks of aging in place in the comfort of their own home, there are other seniors and families that don't really understand what home care entails.

There are unfortunately some myths about home care that can scare some people off of this type of care solution. One of the reasons that there are so many misconceptions about home care is because this is such a flexible care solution, with so many different types of home care options available for seniors. Some seniors may need a visitor for a few hours a couple of times a week for companion care, while others may require more intensive, full-time health care.

The most important thing to remember about home care is that it can allow a senior with specific care needs to stay in their own home, no matter what those needs may be. While some seniors may need help with personal care such as bathing or grooming, others may need homemaking assistance to manage the cooking and cleaning around their home. Every senior is different, and every home care situation is different. For families who are considering this care solution for their loved one, it is not only important to fully understand the basics of in home care, but to realize what ideals about home care are actually myths that should be dispelled immediately.

Myth: Home Care is Always a Permanent Solution

While home care can be a permanent care solution in some situations, just because a senior is starting home care, it doesn't mean that they will stay in home care forever. Sometimes home care is a temporary solution while a senior is recovering from a surgery or a stay in the hospital. They may eventually be able to return to living life on their own without a home care provider.

In other situations, a senior may decide to move to a loved one's home or an assisted living community after time with a home caregiver.

Myth: Home Care Providers Cannot Provide the Same Quality of Care as Institutions

There are many benefits to receiving care from a professional institution such as a nursing home or an assisted living facility. While these communities have their own benefits such as meal services and around-the-clock care it doesn't mean that they always offer superior care when compared to home care. Many times, the personalized attention that in home care providers offer ends up being better and more in-tune with what the senior needs.

Myth: Home Care Will Take Away a Senior's Independence

Many seniors worry about starting home care because they think it will prevent them from being as independent as they want to be. On the contrary, many seniors are able to do more than they ever could thanks to the assistance of their home care provider.

Myth: Home Care Will Cure or Provide a Solution to a Problem

Home care is not a cure to an illness or a solution to a problem. Home care will not cure an ailment. A person does not start home care as a way to cure a health issue. Home care is all about helping a senior with their day to day activities and helping them stay safe and independent while they continue to age at home. While some medical treatments may accompany a home care situation, this care on its own is not designed to treat any condition.

Myth: Home Care is Expensive

The thought of paying for home care can be difficult for many seniors and their families. The cost of home care varies from situation to situation, depending on the individual needs of the senior. With this in mind, many times home care is actually more affordable than nursing home care. With assisted living costs rising more and more every year, many families find that home care, even home care from a professional agency is ultimately the most affordable option.

While seniors will have to pay for a room rental, extra care, meal plans and more. Many times, when compared to the cost of maintaining their current home, many seniors find that a home care situation will actually save them money. While it can be costly to pay for professional care, many times there are more ways to offset these costs with home care than there are ways to offset the costs of a nursing home or similar professional care facility.

Myth: Home Care Prevents Seniors From Being Social

While there are certain social aspects that come with living in a nursing home or assisted living community, home care does not prevent seniors from being social. Typically, the senior's standard routine from before care does not change at all once they start having an in-home care provider. Seniors are typically able to carry out the exact same social agenda that they had before they started receiving in home care, and they typically find there is no difference in their social interactions.

With the help of their home caregivers, many seniors receiving in home care are actually able to be more social than they were before they started care. In addition to having the companionship care of a senior care provider, these seniors are often able to go out in public and socialize much more freely and openly than they were before home care. This is because they have someone to help them with transportation and navigating the waters out in public safely, without as many potential risks.

While home care may not be the right solution for every senior, it can be an effective and powerful solution for many older adults. The first step in determining whether or not home care is right for a particular senior is to start dispelling the myths that often surround home care so a clear decision can be made on what solution is the right solution is for any senior who needs care.