In-home companionship services have filled a gap in the senior care industry. For far too long, we as a society have focussed only solely on physical health while ignoring mental and emotional health. This doesn’t just apply to the health of seniors, but to everybody. Thankfully, this is starting to change. People are taking mental health seriously and along with this change comes in-home companionship services. But who are in-home companionship services actually for?
In-home Services
First, let us discuss the in-home aspect of these services first. For a long time, in-home services were not widely available to seniors. If a senior wanted or needed care, then they would probably have to move into a senior care community of some kind, often a nursing home. While these are the best places for some seniors, they hardly suited every senior. How could they? There are millions of seniors in America and they all have different needs and concerns. And often one of those concerns is their home; they want to stay their. Thankfully, in-home care is now much more widely available and seniors can benefit from them no matter their needs.
In-home Companionship Services
Companionship services don’t focus on the physical health of the client but rather their emotional and mental wellbeing. Many seniors are able to take care of themselves and manage all the activities of daily living, such as eating, brushing their teeth, going to the bathroom, etc. But they might be depressed or detached from the outside world. And this can have dire consequences.
Seniors live in isolation at higher rates than younger people. There are many reasons for this. We tend to move around a lot throughout our lives, so by the time we reach our senior years we often don’t live in the same town as our friends or family. Many seniors are retired so they don’t have coworkers to see every day. And it can be especially bad when a senior is living alone and worse still if that’s because of the recent death of their spouse, though it should be said that couples can become isolated from the outside world together.
All of this can add up to seniors being isolated and isolation often leads to depression. Depression can have serious physical effects beyond the mental anguish it causes. Seniors who are depressed often stop eating and taking care of themselves and their homes. They are more susceptible to viruses and really just wither away. It’s terrible but thankfully in-home companionship services can help.
How In-home Companionship Services Work
In-home companionship services are provided by caregivers who visit clients in their homes. Just what services the caregiver renders depends on what each client needs. Some caregivers arrange for social excursions, accompany seniors on outings, or help them to host company. In-home companionship services can also cover playing cards or board games, helping with correspondence, light house work, and good old fashioned conversation and reminiscing. And who is in-home companionship for? These services are for any senior who is isolated, who doesn’t get out enough, and who experiences loneliness. In-home companionship services can also help seniors (and younger people) whose mental health is at risk because of a neurological condition, such as Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.
Executive Home Care
To learn more about in-home companionship services, please contact us.