Five Ways Companion Care at Home Supports Disabled Seniors

Posted on May 8, 2024 by ltcep2023

Disabled aging adults face a variety of different issues on a daily basis, making it tougher for them to do just about everything. One of the most difficult challenges is often getting the social interaction that they need in order to protect their emotional well-being. Companion care at home can offer some solutions that help disabled seniors to live healthier and happier lives.

Addressing Unique Challenges

Seniors who are disabled experience difficulty in so many areas of life. They may have trouble with mobility, they may have sensory impairments, or they may be dealing with cognitive challenges. All of these issues make it difficult for disabled seniors to meet up with friends, spend time with family members, and have the social lives they want to have. Finding companionship through caregivers is an excellent solution.

Recognizing When Seniors Need Additional Help

Family caregivers who don’t live near disabled seniors may need to ask more probing questions to determine when their aging family members need more help. In some instances, it may be time for help from home care providers. Home care assistance can handle hands-on help with daily tasks, also spending time with seniors and keeping them company. Seniors who are lonely and don’t spend a lot of time with other people benefit greatly from companion care at home.

Personalizing Activities for Seniors’ Abilities and Interests

One benefit from having experienced caregivers visiting seniors to keep them company is that they can put together personalized plans for moving forward. Companion caregivers get to know the seniors they’re helping and they understand what seniors can do, what they enjoy, and how they want to spend this time together. From there, they put together a customized experience meant to bring disabled seniors as much joy as possible.

Offering Emotional Support and Encouragement

Many seniors may not realize just how important emotional support and encouragement are until they have someone there to offer both. For disabled seniors especially, it can help immensely to have someone there to talk about how they’re feeling and to share the challenges they’re experiencing. Companion caregivers are great listeners and they can help seniors to feel heard and understood.

Respecting Seniors’ Needs and Preferences

Companion care at home is about ensuring that seniors have all of the social interaction that they need and want. That doesn’t mean that each senior has the same care plan, however. Companion caregivers are there to meet each senior where they are, respecting that person’s preferences and needs equally. That might mean that some seniors only want visits a few times a month, while others want to see companion caregivers more often. The flexibility of this type of care can accommodate those differences.

Seniors who are already facing challenges because of disability may not be able to get out and be social as much as they want. But with the help of companion care at home, friendly caregivers can come to them on their own schedule and ensure that seniors are getting their emotional needs met.

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Tempe, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

What Should You Know as a Caregiver from the Start?

Posted on June 23, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

If you’re new to being a family caregiver, that feeling that you don’t even know what you don’t know can be overwhelming. What you might need to do is to sit down and ask yourself about some of these topics. They can help you to figure out how to proceed so that you do the best job you can, and when it’s time to bring in companion care at home.

How Much Time You Have for Being a Caregiver

You know you want to be a caregiver for someone in your life, but how much time can you devote to caregiving, really? You may not have as much time as you think you do, especially if you have a career, a family, and other obligations. Will you have to rearrange anything or figure out a different plan for certain areas of your life? It’s important to know that as soon as possible.

Who All Needs Your Time and Your Energy

This is slightly different from the last question, but it might look the same. First, you’re looking at your bigger blocks of time and what your different roles are, such as caregiver, friend, parent, employee. But now you’re looking at who specifically needs your time and energy the most. Which people, pets, and entities need your time and energy? That detail matters.

What Your Limits Are

You’ve got additional limitations, too. Your own health factors into these decisions and what you need in terms of time for yourself and time to devote to pursuits that matter to you. If you need a great deal of sleep, that’s important to consider, because as a caregiver you may find that interrupted more often than you are comfortable with. Think about as many variables as you can, like what you are comfortable helping you senior with and what you aren’t. Companion care at home is great in this regard since there isn’t a family connection that can make personal care tasks awkward.

If You’re on Your Own with This

Will anyone else be helping you? Many caregivers have other family members who can help, but all too many have no one in the family who can help them. If you can lean on friends for help, that might be something to consider, too. You’re never completely on your own as a caregiver, but if you don’t establish your support system early on, you can start to believe that you are completely alone.

How to Incorporate Companion Care at Home

Your senior parent might be reluctant to accept outside help, and that may be the reason why you feel obligated to be their family caregiver. If you have asked yourself the above questions and determined that it would be impossible to me a caregiver on your own, it’s time to have an honest conversation with your parent. Helping them understand the many benefits of companion care at home and how it can help them age in place is vital. Consider having a companion care provider make a short visit to talk with your parent and get to know them.

All of this is important for you to consider early on in the caregiving process. If you don’t start to think about some of these details, you might feel as if you’ve gotten blindsided along the way.

Source
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/family-caregiving