According to the American Hospital Association, around 133 million people are diagnosed with at least one chronic illness. So, nearly half of the population suffers from one chronic illness, like hypertension, heart disease, or arthritis. Our attachment to unhealthy lifestyles has resulted in unwanted physiological changes that have increased in chronic medical conditions.
This graph shows an increasing trend of people (Americans) diagnosed with and dealing with chronic medical conditions.
This health complexity has led to a dramatic increase in home healthcare services in the USA. As many families stay alone, home care assistance is demanding.
Therefore, home care services are now playing a role.
This blog highlights how home care plays a key role in managing chronic illness.
Table of Contents:
- How Does Chronic Illness Affect Older People?
- Role of Family Caregivers
- What is Home Care?
- Benefits of Home Care For Chronic Illness
- How Home Care Can Help Manage Chronic Illness
- Conclusion
How Does Chronic Illness Affect Older People?
Chronic illness affects not only individuals but also families in various ways. Especially when you have an older individual diagnosed with a chronic illness, it certainly changes life completely. For most families, the situation seems bleaker as it takes a toll on mental and physical well-being.
As a result, an older adult diagnosed with a chronic illness undergoes a roller coaster ride of emotions. This results in the decline of physical functions, increased social isolation, and a loss of independence.
For a family, nothing gets easier. The emotional impacts are crystal clear. You often see a wave of emotions fluctuating among them. Fear, anger, frustration, helplessness, loneliness, stress, and so on are common.
Loved ones and their families feel the impact of chronic illness differently.
And one cannot be less frustrating than the other.
So, to reduce the stress on loved ones, family caregivers come into the picture.
Role Of Family Caregivers To Manage Chronic Illness
Family caregivers are a blessing in disguise as they look after the well-being of loved ones. With family caregiver assistance, your loved one can significantly improve their quality of life. They help them accomplish the activities of daily living, set reminders to encourage them to take medications on time, and create a proper care plan.
This is how family caregivers help:
- Activities in daily living
- Meal preparation
- Reminding loved ones of medication and doctor’s appointment
- Running errands
- Grocery shopping
- Encouraging social participation
- Adapting a healthy lifestyle
- Offering companionship and so on…
However, caregiving certainly is not easy. You have to look after your loved one 24/7, and this may take a toll on you physically and mentally. As a result, the family caregivers often feel isolated and exhausted.
Therefore, a home health aide comes into play!
Home care providers help loved ones diagnosed with chronic illnesses to be independent while offering complete care and support. Professional caregivers offer respite to family caregivers and understand the evolving needs and preferences of loved ones. Therefore, professional in-home caregivers offering home care services bring relief and peace of mind to families and loved ones.
What Are Home Care Services?
Home care services are a wide range of care services at home. These care services cater to older individuals with complex medical conditions.
Home care allows the person to stay home while receiving complete care and support from a professional caregiver. The caregivers offering home care assistance help loved ones to be independent and offer emotional assistance to promote either recovery or chronic illness management.
Let’s check out the wide range of home care services
- Alzheimer care
- Personal care
- Companion care
- After hospital care
- Hospice and respite care
- Homemaking
- Flex care
You can choose any kind of home care service you want for your loved ones. Various home care agencies offer a wide range of services that cater to different needs and preferences.
Benefits of Home Care For Chronic Illness
Home care offers a wide range of services that are flexible and affordable for your schedule and budget.
For instance, in a vibrant city like Silver Spring, Maryland, you get various opportunities to socialize and make some new friends. However, due to household chores, you have no time to go out and socialize.
But with services like Homemaking, you get an in-home caregiver who helps you with your household chores. As a result, you are done with laundry, doing dishes, mowing lawns, and so on. This gives you plenty of time to socialize and increase your social circle.
Similarly, other services like companion care reduce the risk of social isolation and dementia. The companion caregivers help older individuals participate in various activities and help arrange family get-togethers.
However, this blog is about chronic illness management with home care services. Let’s take a look at how home care helps older individuals manage chronic illnesses
Here it goes,
- Allow older people to stay at home and not in a care facility
- Cater to individuals’ needs and preferences
- Provides customized care
- Promotes independence
- Avoid unnecessary hospitalization
- Improves quality of life
- Helps to stay connected with family and loved ones
How Can Home Care Help Manage Chronic Illness?
Since chronic illness can affect many aspects of life, one needs proper care and assistance. Therefore, home care provides cost-effective solutions in the long run to cope with your medical conditions.
Here is how home health care promotes chronic illness management:
Offer personalized care
People with severe medical conditions get customized care and treatment. It improves their quality of living and promotes a healthy lifestyle. The caregivers offer support depending on their evolving needs and preferences.
Keynotes:
- Cater to individuals’ needs and preferences
- Customized care
- Promotes a healthy lifestyle
Care continuity
Since older individuals need more care as they grow older, the care plans are to be adjusted accordingly. The professional and trained caregivers prepare a care plan that caters to the evolving needs and preferences of older people. This promotes physical and mental well-being and lets them enjoy their golden years completely.
Keynotes:
- Prepares a tailored care plan
- Promotes overall well-being
- Adjustment in the care treatment
Respite to family caregivers
Family caregivers often feel emotionally exhausted from providing 24-hour care to loved ones. Home care services, like hospice and respite care, bring relief to family caregivers so that they can enjoy their leisure time. Meanwhile, the loved one gets care and requires support from a hospice caregiver.
Keynotes
- Offers a short break to family caregivers
- Bringing peace of mind to families and loved ones
- Improved quality of life
However, simply looking for home care services is not enough. You need to ask the right questions to find a suitable caregiver. Take a look at the questions to ask your caregiver to find the right one.
In Conclusion,
The wide range of home care services is designed to offer essential care to loved ones. It helps them recover faster and return to a healthy lifestyle.
If your loved one is diagnosed with a chronic illness, home care promotes medication management, physical therapy, nutrition, and so on in the comfort of the home.
So, if you are looking for home care services in Silver Spring, MD, get in touch with Comfikare Homecare for in-home caregivers. With years of experience in caregiving, the home health aide can bring their expertise to provide quality care to your loved ones. From Alzheimer’s care to flex care, we offer everything as per your loved one’s needs and preferences. Contact us to learn more.