What Is Personal Home Care?

Care Services At Home

As the name implies, personal home care refers to professional care services provided at home for those who may be in need of assistance to maintain their independence and mobility. These could include aging persons with disabilities such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease or those who are recovering from a health condition/surgery/procedure and require caregiving .These services are administered by trained individuals and staff like nurses, therapists or aides who assist in managing the care needs of people in the comfort of their homes.

Home Healthcare Services

Aging is inevitable and comes with its own challenges and concerns. As we age, our mental and physical capacities get affected. It is very overwhelming to accept that we may not be able to function as we did, we may require companion care.

Once people start aging and realize that they may require assistance in independent living, a few of them opt for nursing care or old age homes.

Why Choose Home Care

However, a majority of individuals prefer to age in place. They don’t want to leave their familiar environment, communities, and friends as they grow old. 

Home care services are the best option for patients who want to avoid hospital stay while receiving the necessary services for them by trained caregivers.

What Does Personal Home Care Include? 

Personal home care plans can be customized based on the needs of each individual. They can range between visits by a home care nurse once per week, or a 24/7 home care plan.  When deciding on the kind of personal home care required by your loved ones, it is  helpful to distinguish between Activities for Daily Life (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities for Daily Living (IADLs).

Activities Included In ADL

ADLs include activities that are significant for the daily survival and well-being of seniors. Eating, bathing, moving, getting dressed, and using the bathroom are a few examples of ADLs. These activities are fundamental to the daily functioning of all humans and if your loved ones are struggling with any of these, it’s high time to look for assistance. The help could be provided by family members, personal home care providers or even by moving them to any assisted living residential facilities. Eating, drinking, bathing, cleaning, toileting, and moving about are all activities which if hindered can affect their chances of survival. For personal care attendant for ADLs, you need to consider the fact that they’ll be offering hands-on physical assistance to your loved ones.

Activities Included in IADL

IADLs, on the other hand, are activities that may or may not be essential for survival, but can have a long lasting impact on the quality of independent living by the elderly. These encompass duties pertaining to light housekeeping and activities of daily living like daily chores, grocery shopping, laundry, managing doctor appointments, pharmacy trips, meal preparation, cleaning, bathing, driving, socializing with friends, responding to mail, financial management etc. These activities do not require any physical contact with your loved ones, if you were to arrange a home care attendant for them.

Personal Home Care VS. Home Health Care

Personal home care includes both ADLs and IADLs. It is important to note that personal home care does not include home health care. Home health care involves skilled and registered professionals including nurses and practitioners who are authorized to diagnose medical conditions. These healthcare professionals can prescribe medications and treatments based on their diagnosis. The personal home care nurses and caregivers are trained to follow the treatments prescribed by the doctors and registered professionals for patients requiring senior care, but they cannot prescribe medication or treatment plans for any illness.

Is Personal Home Care The Same As In-Home Care And Personal Care Services?

There are plenty of terms that you need to familiarize yourself with, if you want to look for suitable care services or nursing care for your elderly loved one.

Many families are unsure of the distinction between “in-home care” or “personal care services”. These are just other names for personal home care, which involves non-medical care services administered at home by caregivers and staff for people who wish to maintain their independence at home (both ADLs or IADLs). 

Senior Care

Most of these services are designed for elderly who want to age in peace in their own homes. These services are safer and more effective, as they help enhance the quality of life of aging individuals by ensuring their independence.

How Does COVID Affect Personal Home Care?

The elderly adults are one of the most vulnerable segments of the population, during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their health and assistance needs cannot be kept at the back burner.

Practical And Sensible Approach

Personal home care is a very practical and sensible approach especially if you want to minimize their chances of exposure to the novel coronavirus. It ensures that the senior citizens don’t have to leave their homes, to continue enjoying an independent and fulfilling life. Instead of them going out to do their chores, a personal care aide does it for them. Home healthcare also is a practical option for those in need of medical help, medication reminders, who don’t want to expose themselves by visiting the health care facilities during COVID times.

Family Choice Healthcare

At Family Choice Healthcare, we have our team of highly trained professionals who deliver personal home care services and duties. All our staff is trained and is obligated to adhere to CDC, WHO and Federal, State and local guidelines, regarding the COVID-19 protocols.

We have been there since 1996, to create flexible and personalized non-medical care programs for aging seniors, so that they can experience a peaceful environment right in their own homes.

COVID Preparedness

During these testing times of the coronavirus pandemic, we strive to create the safest and the most comprehensive care and assistive programs for our clients. You can learn more about the Family Choice Healthcare COVID preparedness here.