Home care services for seniors.
You don’t need to leave your home to receive good elder care. Learn more about home care services for seniors.
As you begin to age, it’s essential to start thinking about what you may not be able to do during your older years. Seniors have a variety of options when it comes to the type of assistance they can receive. One of the more popular choices for elderly help is home care or aging in place, which offers a wide range of benefits.
If you’re not sure what kind of senior care you need, then continue reading to learn if home care is right for you.
What is home care for seniors?
Instead of opting for assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or retirement homes, it’s possible to have your needs met from the comfort of your own home. Home care services can range from simple household upkeep to medical care.
Depending on your needs, there are many variations to home care. Whether you just need someone to fetch groceries or perform daily tasks, or if you require more complicated health care services, there are solutions with home care.
More examples of home care services include:
- Running errands
- Household maintenance
- Nurse or doctor visits
- Virtual care
- Adult daycare
- Chauffers
Other forms of elder care, such as assisted living facilities, can offer high-quality services and may be preferable to some people, but there are several great reasons to choose home care instead.
Why choose home care services?
You may be wondering why anyone would choose home care services over professional elder care facilities. Here are just a few reasons why many people prefer to age in place.
- It offers familiarity
- Family members can be more involved
- Useful if only in need of minor assistance
- It can reduce costs
Arguably the most crucial benefit that home care offers is the familiarity of being in your own environment. Especially as cognitive abilities begin to fade and independence is lessened, it’s comforting to be surrounded by a space curated just for you.
Having pictures of loved ones on the wall can help with memory. And knowing where everything is in the house will make life easier.
Likewise, home care is an excellent option for seniors that have family members nearby. Aging in place can allow family members to be more involved in the caregiving process. Nobody knows you better than your family, which adds to the comfort and familiarity of home care.
Aging in place can significantly reduce costs, especially if your needs are minor. Assisted living facilities offer amenities that may not be needed but would still be included in the overall price. With home care, you have the flexibility to create a service plan that fits your needs perfectly.
Maybe you only require someone to do housekeeping and gardening. Perhaps you just need a health care professional to visit the house a few times a week. Moreover, family members are usually willing to take on these tasks for free.
Virtual home care for senior citizens.
Another variation of home care that is rising in popularity is virtual home care. This particular type of home care has become increasingly accessible due to the risks of COVID-19. To better protect the elderly and their healthcare assistants, many service providers include virtual home care in their plans.
Virtual home care involves the use of digital devices to facilitate senior care services. Using smartphones or tablets with video call features, health care professionals can interact with patients in new and convenient ways.
You can be reminded to take medication at specific hours of the day, or you can just use your digital device to socialize with family or trained professionals. All-in-all, virtual home care is a great way to supplement or replace traditional care. The convenience of it is also another way to reduce overall health care costs.
How to pay for home care services.
Paying for home care services can be done in many ways. Thanks to the flexibility of home care services, you can choose a plan that works best for you. Some ways to pay for home care include:
- Long-term care (LTC) insurance
- Government-backed insurance
- Investments
- Retirement funds
- Out-of-pocket
LTC is a type of insurance catered specifically toward elder care. Premiums can be expensive depending on your age, and there’s always the possibility you may never need to use it, but LTC can be a beneficial way to pay for home care.
If you decide you don’t want to bankroll LTC insurance, there are government-backed options such as Medicaid. However, there is less flexibility in how you can spend your government-provided funds compared to LTC or private insurance.
Some people prefer to pay for home care services out-of-pocket or by selling investments. For example, if you own extra real-estate, you can sell that property to pay for in-home care.
Additionally, if you responsibly contribute to your retirement fund, then around age 65, you should be able to withdraw those funds to help pay for home care.
Again, home care services can be flexible, which can save costs. So paying for home care out-of-pocket doesn’t have to be a substantial financial burden. But suppose you’d like to hedge against the risk of complicated health issues. In that case, LTC or private insurance are the better options.
Senior care from the comfort of your home.
Confronting old age can be frightening, but fortunately, there are ways to make the Golden Years more comfortable and cost-effective. Seniors who prefer not to go to assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or retirement homes can age in place with flexible services.
No matter your current physical or mental state, now is the time to discuss elder care options with family. Consider aging in place if you already live in a good home with family nearby. Read the information above for ways to pay for your home care.
