What is 24-Hour In-Home Care?
24-hour in-home care is precisely what it sounds like – around-the-clock care at home. Whether you’re transitioning your regular daytime care into 24-hour care, or this is your first time searching for help from an in-home care agency, our team takes the time to assess the needs of your loved one and immediate family to tailor a plan around your specific needs.
24-hour in-home caregivers can help with a large variety of tasks, including:
- Mobility around the home
- Bathing, grooming, and personal hygiene
- Medication reminders
- Meal planning and prep
- Running errands
- Companionship
- Light housekeeping and laundry
Having in-home care not only ensures peace of mind for your loved one, yourself, and your family, but it also helps allow them to remain at home around their familiar surroundings.
Around-the-Clock Home Care
Around-the-clock in-home care may seem impossible, but the Homewatch CareGivers team may provide this to countless clients and their families every day – and night. By offering your loved one continuous care by scheduling a few caregivers every 8 – 12 hours, families can relax knowing that a professional caregiver is there to assist with daily tasks and even be there in the case of an emergency.
The Benefits of Having 24-Hour Care
Seniors living with chronic conditions or other individuals with lifelong challenges may need around-the-clock support at home. Having a helping hand for your loved one is an obvious benefit, there are several other reasons why having 24-hour home care is an excellent option for those in need. Below we have listed these benefits:
Maintain Personal Independence
While you may assume that 24-hour care would end up taking away your loved one’s independence, this is far from the truth. An interdependent relationship between a client and their caregiving team, can give them the confidence they need to re-engage with their world and the activities they used to love!
Comfortable At Home
In-home caregivers allow families to keep their loved ones comfortable at home around their family, friends, pets, and familiar personal items. Beginning with a free in-home assessment, our team takes the time to ensure your home is as safe as possible before the start of care in the home.
Companionship
Social isolation and loneliness can take a toll on individuals’ overall health and quality of life. Regardless of the specific conditions your loved one needs help with, caregivers provide both emotional and social support along the way. From striking up friendly conversation and sharing stories to pulling out puzzles and exploring favorite hobbies, companion care helps curb the feelings of loneliness and maybe bring more smiles.
Family Caregiver Respite
Caregiving can be hard, especially when it’s not your only responsibility in life. Respite caregiver services help your family get a well-deserved break to rest, relax, and recharge.
Peace of Mind for Family
Having around-the-clock care for your loved one offers peace of mind knowing they have continued support for daily and weekly tasks, but continued support in case there is ever an emergency.
Having a 24/7 skilled caregiver ensures peace of mind for the person receiving care as well as their family and friends. Besides this, it provides a person with dignity by enabling them to safely do what they’d like to do, when they’d like to do it.
Signs it is Time for A 24-Hour Caregiver at Home
When it comes to getting care for your loved one, it’s better to get things started sooner rather than later. It can be difficult to admit when a parent, spouse, or loved one needs extra help around the home, but doing so early helps with the transition into professional in-home care. Some signs that can indicate that it’s time to look for a 24-hour caregiver include:
Increased Number in Falls or Accidents
Has your loved one fallen recently? Was someone there to help? Frequent falls or accidents can signify that 24-hour in-home care is needed. Caregivers help your loved one get around, in and out of the home and provide extra support and immediate assistance to minimize the risk for accidents and respond to emergencies.
Incontinence
Incontinence and bladder control issues can signify that in-home care could be beneficial. A professional caregiver can help maintain a regular bathroom schedule and assist with clean-up and changing–and report any concerns to the family.
Wandering
Wandering is a common symptom of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and it can be life-threatening when not monitored. A caregiver can help prepare your home to protect someone from danger if they are wandering and provide around-the-clock monitoring for a loved one.
Increased Confusion or Forgetfulness
Along with an increased chance to wander, your loved one dealing with dementia or some other issue may be exhibiting increased confusion or forgetfulness. While this can be as simple as forgetting birthdays or names, it can also include forgetting to lock the front door or shut off the sink. A caregiver can be there 24/7 to address problems that arise from this type of forgetfulness and confusion.
Recently Diagnosed with a Serious Illness or Chronic Condition
Receiving a severe illness or chronic condition diagnosis can be overwhelming and even hard to accept. A local Emerald CareGivers team of professional and compassionate caregivers are here to provide the best care for specific conditions and oversee a comprehensive care plan.
Reliance on Assistive Equipment
Assistive equipment like hearing aids, walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, and others can be a great way to help your loved one keep their independence. Increased reliance on assistive equipment may mean that more help is needed, perhaps from an at-home caregiver. Our team can help your loved one continue to use their devices with the extra support from a caregiver around the clock.
A Decline in Hygiene and Grooming
Have you noticed a decline in personal hygiene, grooming, or general cleanliness? Whether your loved one may be forgetting to do these everyday things or has a hard time completing them on their own, our caregivers are the perfect helping hand needed to ensure your loved one is taking care of themselves.
Needs Assistance to Eat or Drink
If you have noticed food or drink spills around the home, if your loved one’s diet has changed, or new medical conditions have developed, your loved one may need some additional help eating and drinking. Our team can assist in eating during meal times, meal planning, and prep, making the entire process easier.
Primary Caregiver Cannot Sustain Caregiving Around the Clock
The mental health and well-being of primary caregivers can often go overlooked. While you may feel like you can, it’s hard for primary caregivers to continue to care around the clock for their loved one. At some point, you’ll need to eat, drink, shower, use the restroom, and attend to many other responsibilities.
What’s the Difference Between 24-Hour Care and Live-In Care?
While both provide around-the-clock care, the main difference is how many caregivers are used daily.
24-Hour Care is delivered to clients via a minimum of two caregivers. Each shift lasts around eight to twelve hours with routine breaks. Live-in care instead relies on just one caregiver, usually only a maximum of two. This requires a caregiver to live with your loved one on the property in their own personal living quarters.
It’s important to note that one is not necessarily better than the other. The best care for your family depends on the specific needs of your loved one and the type of coverage your family is looking for.
End-of-Life Home Care Services
End-of-life home care services help ensure that your loved one’s final years, months, and days are spent as comfortably as possible. Death is a natural, yet difficult, part of our life cycle. Homewatch CareGivers can provide respite care services while also maintaining a relationship with the client and their family during a challenging time.