Live-in senior care might seem to be impractical or even extravagant to some people. But when you work out the details, it really isn’t. First, let’s establish that live-in senior care is a necessary service for many seniors and it is definitely needed for all those who receive it. You don’t arrange for live-in senior care because you think it might be fun. There are other senior services, such as homemaking services, that many seniors don’t absolutely need but which will improve their lives and make things a lot easier. Live-in senior care is for seniors who need a high level of care.
When do you need live-in senior care?
Live-in senior caregivers can provide many services, including the aforementioned homemaking services as well as providing companionship to seniors and keeping them connected to reality. These are both very important and very beneficial services, but you arrange for live-in senior care when a senior needs a great deal of personal care. Personal care services are services designed for seniors who need assistance to perform the activities of daily living.
Seniors who need live-in care might need help getting in and out of bed every morning and night. They might have mobility issues and need help getting in and out of a wheelchair or up and down stairs. These seniors might have incontinence issues or need help with a colostomy/ostomy bag. And they might need help with meal preparation and being reminded when to eat and take medication. These seniors might also be at risk for falls or other emergencies that, were they to occur in the middle of the night, could be very dangerous. For all these reasons, having a live-in caregiver to provide assistance when needed at all times is imperative.
Why live-in senior care?
If the statements above describe a senior in life, you should strongly consider live-in senior care. “But why not just move into a senior care facility?”, you might be thinking. There are several advantages live-in senior care has over these facilities. First, senior care facilities, such as a nursing home or assisted living community, often don’t have vacancies, so you have to join a waitlist and hope you get in soon enough. Second, these facilities are expensive. Live-in senior care is, obviously, more expensive than arranging for something like homemaking services twice a week, but even so, it’s often cheaper than a care facility because you don’t also have to pay rent and fees to the facility. Lastly, many seniors prefer to stay in their own homes. Moving out could be a real hassle and also depressing for them.
You must keep in mind a few things about senior care, however. For one, you have to have a spare room in which the senior caregiver can actually live, otherwise it won’t work. Second, even though live-in senior caregivers can provide assistance during an emergency in the middle of the night, they’re not on the clock 24/7; they need the requisite free time as any employee anywhere does.
Contact us
Executive Home Care is proud to offer live-in senior care to our clients. To learn more, please contact us today.