10 reasons to choose home care

Following the Covid pandemic when restrictions were imposed on nursing homes, the elderly faced insufficient levels of care and support. They were unable to receive emergency treatments they desperately needed, and loneliness really did impact their well-being. This and more caused much pain within many family units, leading to many families reviewing alternative care provisions, in particular, home care.

As someone needing additional care, it can be quite difficult to understand or come to terms with. Would you want to stay at home if you could? A home is a place of family, familiarity, loved ones, and fond memories.

Although many people can be happy in assisted living facilities and care homes, many people can also find it disruptive and depressing.

Home care is one of the fastest-growing options in the elder care market. There is a variety of different options of care and support packages tailored to suit specific needs. Care packages can include anything from light housekeeping to skilled nursing.

The main misconception of home care is the assumption of the high cost, but that is not always the case. There might be financial support available and we are more than happy to discuss this with you to see if we can help.

Our top 10 benefits of home care:

Faster release from the hospital

With access to home care, your loved one could be released from hospital sooner than anticipated. A tailored care plan for home care can be drawn up for them and the care package is likely to be funded.

A recent study by the BMJ highlights the number of healthcare-acquired infections (HCAIs) within general hospitals across England. HCAIs are defined as “infections occurring in a healthcare setting that was not present prior to a patient entering that care setting.” In 2016/2017 there was an estimated 834,000 HCAIs, where a tragic 28,500 patients died. (3.4%) This accounted for 7.1 million occupied hospital bed days (21% of the total), and cost the NHS £2.7bn.

Early release from the hospital with adequate levels of home care helps to prevent your loved one from picking up an HCAI.

Faster recovery

Having specialist care at home not only helps patients to get an early release from the hospital, but research has shown that recovery can also be faster at home than in the hospital. There is less risk of infections when transferred to your home for recovery, but you also regain your independence faster. Doing simple daily chores at home means you are up and moving, aiding recovery. Receiving home care will also allow you to have a sufficient level of rest. Hospitals are busy and noisy places, and sleep deprivation can slow down your recovery.

Involved with treatment

Family members often want to be more involved with the care and support of their loved ones. Should you wish to be more hands-on, you can support and be involved with the patient’s treatment at home. You can help with administering medication or help with physical therapy. It will also help you to maintain an intimate supporting relationship whilst also working closely with the carer.

Retaining control and dignity

Independence is often the most important concern of patients. Retaining that independence allows them elements of control over their own life and care.  Putting individuals who receive care and support in control of their own care can reduce the chance of abuse and neglect happening. It means making sure that in any care environment, dignity and rights are promoted. It can ensure the lines of communication between you, your loved one, and the caregivers are always open and relationships are based on trust.

Retaining home comforts and familiarity

Oftentimes, receiving care means having to leave home and move into a residential care setting. This can be distressing. Being at home is simply more comfortable than being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. Home care for your loved one means being able to sleep in their own bed, family photos can stay on display, and they can stay in their house full of memories. As well as this, their books, telephone, television, kettle – everything is in its place. Studies have proven this is effective in their emotional healing.

Family and friends can visit

Home care is tailored around the patient and family members’ needs and is not restricted to set visiting times. This allows family and friends to visit as you desire, and they can be close at all hours. Maintaining relationships and continuing to do the things you have always enjoyed, helps to keep the mind stimulated and gives a better quality of life.

Retain overall well-being and morale

Caring for a loved one at home allows people to hang on to the things that mean the most to them, providing a greater sense of well-being and overall morale from being in the comforts of their own surroundings. With a home care service provider by their side, they can receive all the attention and assistance they need at any time. They remain in control of the things that happen to them. This boosts their meaningfulness and independence feeling which gives them more relaxation and eases their minds.

Affordability

Depending on the hours and support needed, home care can be much more affordable than nursing homes and other provisions.  You only pay for the care you need. Your local council may contribute to the cost of your home care service, determined by a needs assessment. If eligible, the council will recommend care at home and then arrange the home care service for you and contribute to the cost, also known as state-funded home care. If they determine you are ineligible, they are required to provide information on how to get help in your area.  In other instances, you might receive direct payments to support the care package required, and at other times the home care package might need to be privately funded. Hadi Care is also on hand to help and advise you and can tailor a bespoke home care solution to fit your requirements and funding options.

Home care provides safety benefits

Our aging loved ones are at higher risk of falls due to reduced vision, hearing, balance, and mobility. Unfamiliar surroundings can increase this risk. Potential hazards like rugs or unfamiliar steps may not be anticipated in advance. Home care allows support and assistance in familiar and well-known surroundings, and can reduce such risks.

Spending time with a loved family pet

Hospitals and care homes often don’t allow pets, which could trigger deeper distress for your loved one should they need to say goodbye to their beloved pet. Pets provide comfort and companionship, especially to those living alone, and can have an incredibly positive impact on well-being and recovery. Home care could see your loved one continuing to maintain their relationship with their pet.

Home care plans with Hadi Care

If you need home care services to support your loved one with an early release from hospital, to aid in faster recovery, and to help with housekeeping and basic levels of care, we have a team of specialist caregivers at Hadi Care to suit your care requirements. Alternatively, if you need a longer-term care plan to care for a loved one with dementia, learning disabilities, stroke recovery, to end-of-life care, Hadi Care also has caregivers with these specialist skills and can provide long shift cover to live-in care.

We respect that every person and every family is different, so we will always work with you to tailor a care package plan that is right for you. We would love to care for your loved ones.

Please do contact us for an informal conversation about your care needs.