Many situations can prompt the need for home care services for an elder in your family:
- Medical emergency: My mother fell and broke her hip. She was in the hospital and in a rehab center. Now it's time for her to come home, but she can't manage by herself and still needs physical therapy. What should I do?
- Changes in a chronic illness: My dad has Parkinson's. He gets easily confused, can no longer drive, and has a hard time cooking for himself. I'm increasingly afraid to leave him alone while I'm at work during the day. What should I do?
- Natural aging process: My parents are lucky to be healthy and fairly active, but they are both in their early 80s, and it's getting harder and harder for them to get groceries and keep up their house and yard. They want to remain in their home. What should I do?
The goal of home care services is to allow elders to remain at home and to maximize their ability to be independent without jeopardizing their safety. The term "aging in place" has become a catchphrase for describing this goal, and there is increasing support among health care professionals and policy makers for keeping elders in their communities with appropriate services.
Many elders need only a small number of services to function independently at home, such as help with home repair, cleaning, and cooking. However, with hospitals and rehab centers shortening the length of patient stays, some elders need a fairly high level of home health care services, either for a limited period of time following an illness or accident, or as ongoing care to manage decreased abilities or a chronic health condition.
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