Either because of a disability or due to the natural process of aging, many people in the greater Naples, FL region require some type of home care assistance. What’s available to you or a loved one? Read today’s blog to learn more about the types of services you can make use of. You’ll probably be pleasantly surprised to discover the variety and scope of help that’s at your disposal!
For Help With Daily Living Tasks
Many people can continue to live in their own homes comfortably and independently simply with a helping hand to make daily living tasks more manageable. It could be daily morning help with getting dressed, washed, and groomed, plus getting the beds made. It could be a visit twice a week for home care assistance that includes a full bath and light housekeeping chores.
Whatever the individual needs, help is available. From light care to ongoing daily help with bathing, dressing, transferring from a chair or bed, toileting, exercising, measuring vital signs, and preparing meals, personal care services may be just what you need.
One of the great things about these services is that you can pick and choose. If meal preparation is not required, you don’t have to get this service; select and use only what you need. And if you do happen to need a broad spectrum of care on a daily basis, you can rest assured that all of these services are available to you or your loved one as well.
When Companionship Will Make A Difference
We’ve talked about personal care services; next we’ll move into companion care. What is this, and who might benefit from this type of home health care?
Just like with personal care services, companion care services can be personalized to meet each individual’s needs. The type, length, and frequency of care can be customized so that you can select just what you require. Companionship care is what you might expect it to be: A reliable, caring assistant available to keep you or your loved one company, whether at home or going out to a social activity. The companion caregiver can play board games, participate in hobbies, watch a movie, or accompany the person needing companionship on a daily or weekly basis.
Companionship care can also include some or all of the following activities:
- Grocery shopping
- Doing errands, like going to the post office or picking up clothes from the cleaners
- Helping with laundry (washing, drying, folding)
- Preparing meals or serving a snack and beverage
- Doing light housekeeping work
- Accompanying the individual to a medical, dental, or eye doctor appointment
- Picking up prescription medications
If you or your loved one can handle getting dressed, moving around, grooming, bathing, and other essentials of daily living, but could use help with errands, meals, or laundry and would like more company during the week, then companionship care is a great solution that’s available to you!
Live-In Care Services
Another popular type of senior home care, or care for an individual with a disability, is live-in care. These services are available for people who could benefit from full-time care. A caring, professional caregiver lives in your home and helps with your daily needs, in addition to providing companionship.
As with the previous types of care, live-in care services can be tailored to your needs. They may involve some or many of the following tasks:
- Washing, showering, and bathing
- Getting dressed, changing into clothes or pajamas, and help with shoes, buttons, zippers, and other tricky items
- Grooming help, from laying out needed items to helping with hair combing and makeup application
- Helping with transfers to and from beds, chairs, sofas, and other furniture pieces
- Help with toileting and incontinence care, if needed
- Assistance with prescribed exercises to improve range of motion
- Light housekeeping chores, such as washing dishes after a meal or wiping the counter
- Watching the client and reporting changes back to family members or the home care agency (or both)
Be aware that there is a difference between live-in care and 24-hour care. The primary difference is that with live-in care, the caregiver requires eight consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep in a separate room provided for them and their belongings. This setup works well for clients who need assistance during the day but can sleep through the night without extra help.
If monitoring or assistance is needed around the clock, then 24-hour care is preferable. In this case, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and/or home health aides (HHAs) provide services during 8- or 12-hour shifts, with another caregiver taking over as the first caregiver’s shift ends.
When Skilled Nursing Services Are Needed
Skilled nursing care is a valuable option for individuals who need specialized clinical care. These services are provided by a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN), with CNAs and HHAs also available to help with the tasks of daily living.
The specialized care provided by an RN or LPN can include one or more of the following:
- Setting up, managing, and administering medications
- Maintaining catheters
- Providing colostomy care
- Offering after-surgery care
- Providing wound care
- Handling injections
- Doing blood sugar testing
- Monitoring vital signs
- Overseeing clinical care
- Implementing special diets
- Conducting home safety inspections
For clients who need more medical care as part of their senior home care services, skilled nursing care is an excellent option. Contact Collier Home Care in the greater Naples, FL region to learn more about all types of home care assistance available to you or your loved one.
The Supervised Living Option
Before we finish today’s blog, we want to talk about one more home health care option: supervised living. You may be wondering what this is, and how this differs from what we’ve already covered. We’ll be happy to explain this option to you!
Supervised living involves having an LPN make weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly visits to check on a loved one. This type of care is ideal for individuals of all ages who:
- Have returned home from a hospital or rehabilitation facility stay
- Clients who live alone and/or are elderly and don’t have loved ones nearby to check in
- Individuals with chronic conditions who can take care of their daily living tasks but who could benefit from a medical professional monitoring their condition in the comfort of their own home
There are other instances where supervised living is a great choice for those seeking care. If you think you or a loved one might benefit from this type of care, give us a call! We’ll be happy to share additional information about this specialized option.
Learn More From Collier Home Care In Naples, FL
In fact, we’ll be happy to explain all types of home care assistance services that are available through us in the greater Naples, FL region. Our in-home caregivers have the right background and training to meet your needs, and our goal is to provide the personalized senior home care services that our clients will benefit from the most.
If you’d like any of our services explained in more detail, or if you’d like to get started with providing home care assistance to someone you know, get in touch with Collier Home Care today! We are here to help you and your loved ones through top-quality senior home care services. Reach out today!