What Are the Benefits of Home Health Care?

It Allows For Greater Independence and Freedom

It can be incredibly frustrating for older adults to realize that they need to increasingly rely on others in order to perform everyday tasks. This might lead them to be hesitant to admit that they are struggling, as they are worried about losing their independence.

One of the main benefits of working with a home care franchise is that older adults are able to continue doing everyday tasks like preparing meals, dressing, bathing, and walking with the assistance of trained home care professional. At home, they are able to maintain as much independence as they can or as long as they can.

Maintaining independence can promote healthy wellbeing and a sense of achievement for older adults. This can generate a large amount of self-worth.

It Offers Comfort, Safety, and Convenience

A number of studies have found that older adults tend to recover with fewer complications and faster when they are at home rather than in a hospital. With the help of a home health care franchise, your loved one can get help managing their medications and recovering from illness or injury from the comfort of their own home.

The help of an occupational therapist can also help to make sure the home environment is safe from the risk of falls or other injuries.

We all know how important home is to us. When your older loved ones are able to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives and be in familiar surroundings it can improve the quality of their lives compared to being in a facility of some kind.

When people move to nursing homes or assisted living facilities, it can mean moving into smaller living spaces and maintaining an unusual schedule compared to one’s normal schedule. It feels less possible for your elderly relative to be in control of their schedule and live life at their own pace.

Living at home means that your loved ones can plan their own days and spend their time as they choose. At the same time, they can still receive all of the health care that they need.

Home care is also safer. One is much less likely to be exposed to diseases and illness at home than at a health care facility of some kind. This is particularly important in the age of the coronavirus, to which older adults are particularly vulnerable.

When you choose home care, it means that your loved one’s home can be outfitted with everything they need to feel safe and secure. This might mean medical alert systems, fall proofing the home, doorbell cameras, and other features.

Home Health Care Gives Relief to Family Caregivers

Being a caregiver to elderly adults can be incredibly stressful and taxing. When you work with a home health care franchise, it means that family caregivers can find some time to rest, relax, and recuperate.

Home health aides can help with daily tasks like dressing and bathing, which can help reduce the burden on family members. These professionals can also help teach family members how to provide follow-up care and connect them with resources that are invaluable.

Caregiver burnout is a very real thing, and having help in the form of home care can help protect against this.

What Is Caregiver Burnout?

Caregiver burnout is a state of exhaustion that is physical, mental, and emotional. Caregivers that are stressed out can experience anxiety, fatigue, and depression. If you are experiencing this, your attitude might transition from having been caring and positive to unconcerned and negative.

When caregivers are doing more than they are able to either physically or financially, it can lead to burnout. This can also occur when they don’t seek the help that they need.

It is common for caregivers to feel guilty spending time on their own well-being as they feel they should be giving that energy to their elderly or ill loved ones. However, you can only care for others when you care for yourself, first.v

What Are the Symptoms of Caregiver Burnout?

You might notice that the symptoms of caregiver burnout are quite similar to those of depression and stress. These symptoms include:

• Feeling irritable, helpless, and hopeless
• Loss of interest in activities you once loved or enjoyed
• Withdrawing from family, friends, and loved ones
• Getting sick more often
• Changes in weight, appetite, or both
• Emotional and physical exhaustion
• Feelings or wanting to hurt the person you’re caring for or yourself
• Changes in sleep patterns

Finding outside help is one of the ways that you can prevent caregiver burnout. This can help you ensure that you aren’t placing too much burden on yourself.

It Helps to Save Money on Health Care

Working with a home health care agency can also help you save money on medical expenses. You can avoid unnecessary trips to the hospital, which will save you money very quickly. Home care can also help to prevent or delay the need for more intensive types of care like placement in a nursing home franchise.

Home Health Care Helps Prevent Avoidable Trips to the Hospital

If an older adult is tasked with managing their health conditions at home, they might end up making unnecessary hospital visits with some regularity. When you have someone helping them out at home it provides regular education and monitoring for your loved one.

If they are experiencing any troubling symptoms, a professional is only a phone call away. This means they won’t end up making trips to the hospital at times when it isn’t particularly necessary.

Health Care Provided at Home Is High Quality

It’s always worth researching companies before you hire a home health care franchise. That being said, they are typically high quality and focused on providing patients with the right care at the right time.

(Have you ever wondered whether you should start a home health care agency? Schedule a call with us today.)

Home Health Care Is Personalized Care

When you choose home health care over other options such as an assisted living franchise, your loved one receives personalized care. This means that the treatment can end up being more effective. Additionally, it can build an element of trust between the patient, home health care team, and caregiver.

Working With the Best Home Care Franchise Gives Access to a Wide Range of Services

As your loved one ages, they might simply need help with a few things but would otherwise prefer to take care of many tasks on their own. Home health care franchises offer a wide variety of services, meaning that you can request the services that your loved one needs and nothing more. Allowing them to maintain independence in the way that they can for as long as possible is absolutely essential to their wellbeing.

(Do you know for sure that a senior care franchise is your next career step? You can fast-track your inquiry here.)

It Offers Essential Companionship

It is much easier for friends and relatives to visit their aging loved one when they still live at home rather than a facility or a hospital. This is particularly true in the age of COVID-19 when there are strict rules regarding visiting at many facilities.

This means that your loved ones can have more social interactions. On top of that, the home health care workers that work with your loved one will also provide companionship.

According to the CDC, social isolation and loneliness in older adults are linked to serious health risks. Some of these associated health risks include:

• An increased risk of dementia
• A significantly increased risk of premature death from all causes
• Higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide
• Poor social relationships are associated with an increased risk of stroke and heart disease

More than one-fourth of adults over the age of 65 are considered to be socially isolated. Because they are more likely to live alone, experience hearing loss, and have suffered the loss of friends and family, older adults are at an increased risk of social isolation and loneliness.

Socializing can help seniors in a number of different ways. It can help to improve their brain health, as being socially active can boost cognitive function. It can also increase the amount of physical activity they experience which can help them retain muscle tone, improve heart health, support bone health, and much more.

Spending time with others in a meaningful way can also help to lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Stress is known to be linked to a number of chronic health conditions, and reducing stress can help keep your loved one healthier.

It can also lower the risk of your loved one developing depression. This is because seniors who remain socially active are much less likely to feel lonely and isolated. Lastly, socializing can slow the health decline of your elderly loved ones.

It Can Your Loved One Maintain Their Level of Wellness For Longer

There is a growing body of research that suggests that elderly patients with COPD, diabetes, pneumonia or similar health conditions that receive care at home have better health outcomes than people won’t don’t. It can also reduce their risk of being rehospitalized for a condition they were recently in the hospital for.

Caregivers Can Help With Nutritional Needs

Our nutritional needs change as we get older. It is common for elderly people to lose body mass from bed rest, aging, injuries, or illness. This makes it even more essential to eat a healthy diet.

Home care means that your loved one can receive home-cooked meals that are nutritionally sound as well as receiving nutritional counseling.

Are you interested in running a home health care business but want to learn more about the legal pitfalls? Register for our webinar here.

Home Health Care: Is It Right For Your Loved One?

As you can see, there are numerous benefits to home health care. Not only does it ensure that your loved ones received the medical attention they need but it allows them to continue living in the space that they feel is their own. This can have major psychological benefits for them and boost their wellbeing when compared to the alternatives.

At Preferred Care at Home, it’s our intention to allow potential senior care franchise owners the opportunity to connect with us to see if owning a franchise for senior care is right for you. We only award a limited number of franchise opportunities every year to the most qualified individuals.

To find out whether or not Preferred Care at Home is right for you, fill out this form today!

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