“Home care and hospice nurses, therapists, aides, and other providers who choose to use their lives to serve our country’s aged, disabled, and dying. This noble work deserves our recognition and praise and we celebrate November as Home Care & Hospice Month for that very reason.”
– William A. Dombi, President of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Home care and hospice workers come into the homes of seniors, disabled people, or those who are dying to tend to their needs. This support enables these individuals to receive personalized assistance on a one-to-one basis from skilled and caring professionals right in their own homes.
What is Home Care?
Home care includes supportive assistance from a professional caregiver to a person who is living in their own home. Home care services are designed to help seniors retain their independence and quality of life. The level of support provided ranges from minimal or intermittent to extensive or constant. It is customized to the person’s needs and preferences. Common home care activities include:
- Assistance with shopping, transportation, or errands
- Assistance with personal care, such as bathing, dressing, or incontinence care
- Assistance with light housework, laundry, or pet care
- Assistance with meal or snack preparation
- Respite care provides breaks or support for family caregivers of people with dementia
- Companionship, social or mental stimulation, or assistance to engage in meaningful activities
Home care aides come on a customized schedule based on the individual client’s needs. An agency ensures each aide is a good fit for each client. They check each employee’s background, take care of training and vet each individual. Agencies also cover all scheduling considerations, so if one aide is unable to report for a shift, the agency will send a suitable replacement.
What is Hospice?
Hospice is a special kind of care that focuses on relieving symptoms and increasing the quality of life in the final portion of a person’s life. They help people with terminal illnesses, who are expected to live less than six more months. When a patient agrees to hospice care, they switch their focus away from curing their disease or prolonging their life. Instead, they start accepting where they are and trying to make the most of what they have left.
Hospice care focuses on supporting the patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort. It also addresses the needs of the family who is losing their loved one. A hospice care team includes an array of professionals, including physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, and caregivers.
National Home Care and Hospice Month
The National Association of Home Care and Hospice has called upon the nation to help them recognize and celebrate the incredible impact of home care and hospice workers — not only upon the people and families they serve but on the entire healthcare system.
The care staff are unsung heroes to the millions of Americans they serve. 90% of Americans prefer to stay in their own home as they age, rather than moving to a care facility. For many, home care and hospice make this preference a possibility.
Home care and hospice workers are amongst the most compassionate and dedicated members of society. Take a moment to reflect on what home care or hospice workers do for the senior in your life. Be sure to take a moment this month to express your gratitude with a smile and a heartfelt ‘Thank You’.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring a Senior Care in Orinda, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203
Sources
https://hospicefoundation.org/
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