How can Home Care improve Quality of Life?
Home Care is care that allows a person with additional needs stay in their own home. This may be for:
- Elderly people
- Disabled people
- Chronically ill people
- Adults with support needs
- Mental Health Patients
- People who have just been discharged from hospital
Home care is available for:
- Personal care, such as dressing and washing, maintaining personal hygiene.
- Cooking and meal preparations
- Companionship
- Housekeeping
- Nursing and healthcare
Depending on the type of care you require will determine the duration of the care you need:
- Long term, 24 hour care
- Emergency care
- Day care
What is quality of life?
‘ The standard of health, comfort, and happiness experienced by an individual or group’ It is the general well being of a person.
How does Home Care improve Quality of Life for Elderly?
- The person gets to live in their own home. This means they feel more independent. They will feel more comfortable in their own environment.
- They receive more personal care. Carers can meet the patients’ exact needs in their home, for example, giving a person their breakfast at the time they like to eat, whereas in a hospital/care home, there are set meal times.
- Home care provides the person with companionship. The person will be able to build a personal relationship with their carer. Just by being there for a chat, and helping around their home. The person feels more comfortable knowing they aren’t on their own all of the time. It makes their day a little bit more interesting, passes a little time. Especially if they are unable to go anywhere.
How does Home Care improve Quality of Life for the Disabled?
- Home Care offers support that some services may not be able to
- It Improves quality of life for family members, as their minds can be put at rest knowing the person is being cared for correctly
- Home Care allows the person to live at home, meaning they can socialize with their friends, they may just need help with tasks at home, for example, preparing meals, household chores
- When receiving Home Care, the persons needs will be met on a personalized level.
- Home care is more affordable because you are only paying for the services that you need.
How does Home Care improve Quality of Life for the Chronically ill?
- They feel more comfortable in their own home, and again more dependant, as they are in their own ‘normal’ environment.
- There is help with medication if needed, for example, if an injection is needed and a person doesn’t know how to or doesn’t want to do it, the carer can do it for them.
- Home Care can help with household chores that a person may not be able to complete on their own. Even if it is just washing the pots, doing the laundry, or vacuuming.
There are many people that require homecare, whether that may be a lot of assistance, or just a little. The person that receives homecare benefits from the help they get.
