It’s an oft-cited fact in our modern world that people are living longer and longer. While this is a wonderful fact in that it gives us more time with our loved ones, it means that there is more and more need for elder care for more people and for longer spans of time. Younger people rarely consider early in their life what accommodations might be needed later for aging parents. When they are no longer able to care for themselves independently, their family may find themselves unable to themselves provide care for elderly relatives. This has made assisted living facilities increasingly popular, but moving an elder relative into such facilities can be difficult and traumatic for them. The moving process can be especially challenging if they have memory issues that make adjusting to new spaces difficult. A significant percentage of the elderly are actively opposed to leaving homes where they’ve lived for decades to move into smaller apartments in assisted living facilities.

This is where home care comes in! Home care covers a range of services, all geared at helping the elderly age in their own homes while avoiding dangers associated with aging such as falls, kitchen accidents, inability to drive oneself, loneliness, and memory issues. These services can range from assistance with household chores to nursing services. When these services are successfully employed, they can eliminate the need to move the elderly out of their homes at the end of their lives.

Home care services usually increase incrementally over time, adding new responsibilities for caretakers as the patient’s own faculties degrade. Services also vary from person to person according to their needs. One patient might need slowly increasing supervision to help deal with dementia and make sure they take their medicine on time. Another might require assistance with cooking and bathing to handle loss of motor function and balance. Still another might primarily require companionship to battle depression after the loss of a spouse.

Regardless of the type of care being provided, home care is almost always more cost effective than assisted living. Because home care involves only paying for the specific care needed rather than the full time assistance of an assisted living facility, it is usually cheaper in terms of care. Home care also takes advantage of patients’ own homes that may already be mostly or entirely paid for rather than renting space in a facility.

Home care is an increasingly valuable and needed service for providing care to the growing elderly population that allows the elderly to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their homes for as long as possible. If you have an aging relative for whom you’re trying to determine the best form of care, consider finding an in-home caregiver who can help your loved one remain in their home while affording you peace of mind in the assurance that they’re well assisted.