If you have an elderly or disabled loved one in New York, you might be wondering which care option is the best. Should you encourage the patient to go to a nursing home? Try to take care of them on your own? Or hire full-time help? In many cases, home health care is the best option because it allows your relative to remain in their Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx home and still receive hospital-grade care.
Working with an agency like Parent Care has many advantages. Not only is it more cost-effective than many of the other solutions, but it is also easily customizable. Your loved one will receive exactly the care they need without paying for extras that don’t serve them. Today, let’s have a closer look at why hiring a home health aide could be the best decision for your family.
7 Advantages of New York Home Health Care Over Other Options
1. Your Loved One Remains in their Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx Home
Most elderly or disabled people don’t want to move to a care home because they are happy in their own house or apartment. They are very reluctant to leave their memories and friends behind, and a move late in life can be traumatic. For this reason, taking care of your loved one in their home is often preferable. The familiar environment can help the patient to remain more active, mentally sharp, and social.
Unfortunately, completing all the necessary tasks may become unmanageable for the family as the elderly relative deteriorates. At that point, your best option is to hire a home health aide, who can take over some of the tasks and ensure your loved one’s safety. For many elderly people, this is a much better solution than moving to a new place where they know nobody and have to change their whole daily routine.
2. You Have the Help You Need
Initially, many families attempt to take care of their frail relatives on their own. While this can be a good solution if the care needed is very minimal, it can quickly become a burden. This is especially true if you and other family members have their own careers and responsibilities. Hiring a home health aide can take the stress out of the situation and allow you to fully enjoy the time you spend with your loved one.
You can take over all the important social tasks, such as spending quality time with the patient and taking them out to their favorite restaurant. Meanwhile, your home health aide completes routine tasks, such as helping the patient get up in the morning, providing them with nutritionally balanced meals, and making sure they attend all their regular appointments.
3. The Emotional and Social Needs of the Patient Are Covered
Sometimes, families rely on their New York home health care agency to provide social support, especially if several family members live far away from the patient or lead busy lives. Here at Parent Care, we will take into consideration your loved one’s emotional and social needs, which are just as important as their physical requirements. If they live alone or have limited social contact, we might suggest Companion Care.
This program involves regular visits to patients’ Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx homes by a companion, who can perform light housework tasks, chat with the elderly or disabled person, read to them, play games, or take them out for a walk. Sometimes, companions also offer transportation, so they can take your relative shopping or to appointments. It is hard to get this kind of support in nursing homes, which are often understaffed.
4. The Patient Is Safe
Many people have fallen or been neglected at a care home because of a lack of high-quality nurses. Similarly, safety isn’t a given even in the patient’s own home, since there could be hazards such as stairs or slippery surfaces. A competent home health aide can suggest simple precautionary measures which will significantly reduce the risk of preventable injuries.
When we begin working with your relative, we will evaluate their home and let you know whether any changes are needed. Sometimes, modifications like handles or a chair in the shower can be extremely effective. What’s more, the aide who visits your loved one will help them take the correct medication every day and make sure the patient has access to balanced meals.
5. Caring for Your Loved One at Home Is Cost-Effective
Caring for a disabled or elderly person can quickly become expensive. Good nursing homes charge high fees, and a full-time caregiver must be paid a fair living wage. The most cost-effective solution is to take over your loved one’s care on your own, but this isn’t always viable because you might have other commitments such as work and children.
A home health aide can be an effective way to provide the patient with the best care possible without breaking the bank. The aide visits multiple people every day, so the cost of care is spread out between many families. Here at Parent Care, we can help you find out how much elder care will cost and which of our services are covered by insurance.
6. A Team of Professionals Is Always Available
If you’ve been researching care options, you might have read that around 90% of care homes in the US suffer from understaffing. In many institutions, a lack of professional caregivers causes delays for patients. Over time, some elderly people in nursing homes develop problems such as bedsores, depression, and even malnutrition because they aren’t optimally taken care of.
This isn’t the case when you work with a home health aide, who visits the patient every day and reliably takes care of their needs. What’s more, you and other family members can always reach Parent Care over the phone if your loved one is experiencing a problem. That way, they can get the help they need as soon as possible.
7. You Can Tailor the Service to Your Needs
Not every patient needs the same level of help, but it’s hard to individualize care in a nursing home. In their own house, your loved one can choose their decor, eat meals at their preferred time, and spend their day in an enjoyable way. Your home health aide and companion can tailor the frequency of their visits and the service they provide to the patient’s needs. As the elderly person deteriorates over time, the level of care can be adjusted.
In NYC, there are many care options for elderly and disabled people. They can move to a nursing home, hire a live-in caregiver, or receive help from their friends and family. But in many cases, these solutions are impractical or costly. Home health care is an alternative that allows your loved one to keep living in their Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx home while receiving the assistance they need.
No matter what the patient’s social, emotional, and physical needs are, they can be covered by a good health care agency’s team. The aide or companion who visits your relative can help them complete routine tasks, ensure their safety, and take them on outings or to their regular appointments. Get in touch with us today at Parent Care in New York to find out more about our services and to book an Elder Care Planning meeting.
