Types of Caregivers for Elderly
Types of home care for elderly
Types of Home Care for Elderly
There are two types of care for the elderly: non-medical personal care and home health care. Non-medical personal care is provided by a caregiver and home health care is often provided by a nurse or another trained medical professional.
Non-medical personal care
If you have an elderly loved one who needs help with activities of daily living, you may be considering hiring a caregiver. While there are many benefits to having a caregiver in the home, it’s important to make sure that you are clear about what services the caregiver will and will not provide.
A caregiver can provide non-medical personal care, which can include help with bathing, dressing, grooming, light housekeeping, errands, and meals. This type of care can be provided by a close family member or a paid professional.
Home health care
Home health care is when a trained nurse comes over on a specific interval to do administer basic medical needs or do tests. This type of care is usually ordered by a physician and may require special equipment. Home health care can also include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Both types of care can be essential for maintaining the health and wellbeing of the client.
How do we care for the elderly?
When deciding the best care plan for an elderly person, it is important to consider their individual needs and what type of support would be most beneficial for them. There are many resources available to help make this decision. speaking with a physician, contacting a home health care agency, or researching online are all great starting points.
No matter what type of care is decided on, the goal is to provide the best possible support for the elderly person in order to maintain their health and wellbeing.
Let’s break down and expand on the two types of elderly care we talked about above to see how they might fit within your care plan.
The first: non-medical personal care. This can include help with bathing, dressing, grooming, light housekeeping, errands, and meals. This is often provided by a close family member, but can also be provided by caregivers that are paid to help out.
Often paying caregivers to take care of non-medical personal care can be a respite for family members or allow family members to focus on the emotional or relational needs of the elderly person, instead of strictly their physical needs.
Another way to care for the elderly is to provide home health care. This can include administering basic medical needs, doing tests, and providing physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Home health care is often provided by a skilled nursing services company that can be contracted on a one-off or ongoing basis. It also requires a physician referral.
Both types of of home health care can be essential for maintaining the health and wellbeing of the client.