Benefits of home care for elderly during COVID-19
A single kind word can be a lifesaver and positive human communication is sometimes all a person needs to face another day with strength. This statement is even more important with the rise of Covid-19 in many countries of the world.
In this time of isolation and uncertainty, the elderly of our community are among the most affected people. Home care services provide seniors with a solution to deal with the depression and anxiety that comes with isolation and loss of physical contact.
So you might ask, what benefits can elderly home care actually bring your loved one? Some of the most prominent ones are:
Practice Social Distancing without Issue
Your loved one can easily stay home and stay safe without worrying about running out of groceries or getting their laundry done. Elderly home care services fulfill all those responsibilities for them. These tasks may seem easy but they can be hard for the elderly to complete on their own.
By running errands home care providers greatly improve the quality of life for the elderly. So, at the end of the day, there isn’t a long list of errands that they have to deal with. Some additional errands that home care providers run and their benefits are:
- Cleaning- An environment free of clutter eases the mind.
- Grooming- Looking your best provides confidence at all times.
- Meal preparation- A proper diet plan is the best way to keep healthy.
- Companionship- Good companionship does wonders for mental health and well-being.
- Schedule planning- A well-kept schedule can make your day more productive.
- Medication reminders- So not even one medication dose is ever missed.
- Transportation- Ease of transport to every doctor’s appointment.
Doctor Visits and Medication Reminders
Doctor visits are important, especially during Covid-19. Routine health screening has to be ensured so your loved one’s health is in optimal condition at all times. Transportation to doctor appointments can be a major issue but elderly home care assistance drives your loved one to and from every doctor’s appointment, making sure that not even a single appointment is missed!
The mind starts deteriorates with time and this leads to forgetfulness. This is especially the case with seniors that have Dementia or Alzheimers. These diseases can often lead to your loved one unintentionally skipping medication doses or taking the wrong medicine at the wrong time altogether. This is detrimental to their health.
Timely medication reminders help them never skip a dose. Home care providers act as an aid, helping your loved one remember their daily dose of medication. Not only that, during a doctor’s visit a home care provider can easily remember any changes made to routine medication and provide the medication accordingly.
A medication reminder is given according to the needs of your loved one for example:
- A medication time chart can be made and provided with the time and type of medication listed.
- In some cases, a dispenser is the chosen way to provide timely medication to your loved one.
- A verbal reminder is also a chosen method in some cases.
Meal Preparation for a Healthy Diet
During Covid-19 common advice that all doctors give is to eat healthy. Processed foods do not provide the nutritional requirements the elderly need and are not easy to digest as well. Unprocessed foods made at home, according to the health requirements are the key to providing the vitamins and nutrients that your loved one needs.
A proper meal plan made by a professional home care provider is the best way to keep the immune system strong. A strong immune system is needed to combat viruses and diseases such as Covid-19.
In this meal prep fats and oily foods are kept to a minimum and vegetables, fruits, and nutritional oats make up most of the meal plan. In case canned fruits and vegetables are used, those with no added sugar or salt are chosen because high salt consumption can lead to high blood pressure and high sugar consumption is hazardous if your loved one has diabetes.
This plan also includes increased water intake because water is an essential element that helps the body function properly.
Companionship to Battle Depression
A huge portion of depression and anxiety in the elderly is not because of the fear of Covid-19 itself, but the state of isolation they have to deal with during lockdown. Loneliness has a drastic effect on the elderly, especially because in their old age their coping mechanism is not as strong as that of the younger population.
The elderly population often has a higher degree of sensitivity to negative changes in their surrounding. There is no one in need of a stable environment more than the elderly. They often associate a stable environment with a comfortable environment. The stability and routine that they crave in their life are easily provided by the companionship of a competent home care provider.
Elderly home care providers can display compassion in many ways to provide comfort, some of them are:
- Showing empathy and support when your loved one is sick.
- Providing your loved one with someone to trust at all times.
- Providing them with someone to talk to during times of stress.
- Helping you, the family of the elderly, cope during hard times that come while caring for a sick loved one.
- Educating you on how to help your loved one during hard and trying times.
Some signs that show that your loved one is going through depression are:
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Slow movement or speech
- Sleep disturbances
- Neglecting personal care
Your loved one may not notice these signs of depression but you should be aware of them. In case these signs are evident to you it’s time to call a compassionate and caring elderly home care service. Your loved ones need to find the will, motivation, and strength to face each day with purpose. Help them start working towards a better tomorrow by contacting Amazing Grace Homecare service today!
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