Five Reasons You May Need Home Care Nursing or In-Home Care

According to the CDC, as of 2016 in the United States, there were an estimated 4,600 adult day services centers, 12,200 home health agencies, 4,300 hospices, 15,600 nursing homes, and 28,900 residential care communities. 

Caregivers are making the difficult choice of placing their loved ones in nursing homes every day. It is a challenging but an important decision to make.

Certain factors should be considered before putting your elderly loved one in a nursing home:

1. They are no longer able to take care of themselves: Everyday tasks are no longer possible for them. They cannot feed themselves, use the restroom by themselves, brush their teeth, or do personal hygiene by themselves. They cannot bathe, walk, stand, or lay down without assistance. Additionally, they cannot cook their own meals or keep their home clean. They are sometimes confused, forgetful, and cannot keep to a daily routine.
2. Constant care can be overwhelming: Caregiving is a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year responsibility. It can be emotionally draining for everyone and eventually trigger health issues. Caregiving is added to our own daily responsibilities such as family, career, and community. Even though you love them and want to care for them, the daily caregiving grind is wearing you down and eventually, the exhaustion from juggling all these responsibilities may take its toll as you lose focus and make mistakes in your care of them. Your elderly loved one may also see you in an angry mood and that will adversely affect their mood and health. It is a domino effect, but there are in-home care options for loved ones so you are not alone in caring for them.
3. You don’t live in the area: You may want to care for them but you live too far away to do it on a regular basis. Your obligations to your family and career get in the way of you being a consistent caregiver in their life.
4. They need professional care: Elderly patients with serious medical conditions such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s need professional care, 24/7/365. They may also be on certain medications and require nursing care that you cannot provide.
5. You have tried everything else: Your own caregiving may be helpful and compassionate, but it is not the best solution to your loved one’s unique and, perhaps, complex needs. After researching and asking around, you conclude that in spite of all that you are doing, it isn’t enough. Your loved one needs comprehensive, professional care.

Now, maybe it’s time to place them in the care of a licensed, trained, and compassionate in-home caregiver or at a nursing home. Please, don’t wait until it is too late.  If you need a safety assessment or have questions about your loved one, call us at (301) 740-8870.

CarePlus Home Health, Inc. has experienced and compassionate home health caregivers.  We offer home care in Montgomery County, MD and the surrounding areas.