Regardless of age, independence is an important part of our lives. Daily interaction with others and having the ability to perform regular activities are critical to keeping a healthy mind and body. This particularly holds true for the elderly as they experience decline in their natural abilities to perform daily tasks due to advancing age.
They can often find it difficult to do chores and perform other routine tasks independently as aging has unfortunately started to have its impact on the physical body, as we’ve all learned during our progression through life. For a good portion of the retirement community, this reduced ability and age-related decline in health, can eventually lead to emotional issues like low self-esteem, loss of self-confidence, increased anxiety, and depression if not addressed. Retiring from the comfort of home is meant to be the golden years of our lives, and with a little bit of companionship or home health aide assistance, home health providers can give some of this back to seniors that may be suffering from any of the above mentioned conditions.
Seniors who tend to stay socially, mentally, and physically active have better overall health and live independently longer. With age-related decline in physical and mental abilities, all they need is the right person to step in and lend a helping hand to assist them in achieving the highest level of independence possible. Hiring a licensed home health care agency is a great option as they can be much more affordable than moving into and independent or assisted living facility, and from a physiological point of view, can help a retiree maintain a higher level of self-pride, confidence, and independence.
Any licensed and credible Home Health Agency will follow an interactive approach to in home caregiving that not just stimulates an elderly individual’s natural ability to perform, but also boosts their emotional, mental, physical, and social well-being. Below are some in depth examples of how a homemaker companion or home health aide can provide the right assistance to accomplish these goals.
Home Health Aide Assistance in Maintaining Independence
While following an interactive approach to caregiving, a professional home health aide can focus on these four major areas:
* Physical Activity: For retirees, it’s important to stay as active as possible, but with reduced physical ability, they may require some support to perform them. A home health aide can aid you in performing activities like stretching, dancing, gardening, walking, and even light exercise that are all known to promote emotional and physical wellbeing.
* Socialization: Socialization helps promote memory retention, boosts self-esteem, and self-confidence. Therefore, being around others is a critical part of maintaining quality of life. Unfortunately, some seniors can get “stuck on an island” in their own home when younger family members aren’t always able to assist and their own physical capability limits their ability to leave.
In this scenario, a home health aide or homemaker companion can be the friend needed to assist you in meeting up with your loved ones and friends outside of your home. So, whether you want to attend parties, go for a garden walk, or visit a clubhouse for a card game with your friends, your home care aide can do everything possible to provide the ability to stay socially engaged.
* Mental Stimulation: To maintain healthy levels of brain function, it is important for seniors to stay regularly involve in mind-stimulating activities. In the absence of a family member or caregiver, it can sometimes become difficult for someone to engage in activities that can keep them mentally active.
Home health aides or companions can easily keep one involved in whatever mind-engaging activities they prefer, like card games, arts and crafts, crossword puzzles, storytelling, etc.
* Emotional Well-Being: Simple things, such as staying in touch with friends and loved ones, getting involved in community-based activities, and learning a new hobby with like-minded people can go a long way in keeping a retiree emotionally fit and healthy. While it may be something a senior wants and knows they should do, they may become discouraged in attempting this as getting ready and actually getting out of the house become an extremely time consuming task when alone. Having a companion by their side to give them the verbal push and assistance that a family member would goes a long way.
If You’re Considering Care Assistance
Whether searching for yourself or a loved one, finding the right agency may feel like a tough task, but don’t become discouraged. Some may consider a non-agency hired private care giver as an attractive option in terms of cost, but that won’t provide the peace of mind in having an appropriately licensed agency that’s bonded and insured, providing supervision over the caregiver to ensure that the plan of care and regulations are being followed. Hiring a professional home health aide or companion from Unified Pledge Home Health comes with the following advantages:
Level II FBI background checks of all staff
Driving history checks
Companions, health aides, LPNs are our direct employees and not independent contractors
Constant communication to patients, family, and care team
Registered Nurse supervision is ongoing with every care plan
An in home assessment and care plan estimate is always FREE at Unified Pledge Home Health. We encourage you to get in touch with us for any question large or small, even if you don’t need the care right away! CLICK HERE.