Three Reasons To Hire A Home Health Care Aid For An Elderly Family Member

Health & Medical Blog

When you have an elderly member of your family who lives independently but is beginning to show signs of poor health, it's often conventional to explore local retirement or nursing homes. Many people, however, prefer to stay in their own homes as they age, which can put family members in a challenging position -- after all, you might not have enough time in your daily schedule to care for the person. A viable alternative is to hire a home health care aide to visit the person daily or even stay at the person's home. Here are three benefits to taking this approach. 

An Experienced, Watchful Eye

Unless you happen to have a medical background, it will be easy for you to miss signs that your elderly family member is suffering from an illness or poor health. A home health care aide has extensive experience that allows him or her to be acutely aware of any issues your family member might be facing. Whether it's being aware of the signs of a serious health condition such as a stroke, and then summoning emergency help quickly, or just conducting an analysis of the person's home and highlighting things that could pose a trip hazard or mobility challenge, the health aide's watchful eye will help your family member while also providing relief for you.

Help In A Number Of Forms

A home health care aide isn't a babysitter for your family member; don't expect this health professional to just sit idly and keep an eye on your relative. These workers are trained to provide care and help in a variety of beneficial ways. This list can include everything from ensuring that your family member takes medicate at designated times to transporting the family member to medical appointments to simply being there when the family member is lonely.

Care When You Can't Provide It

Even if you wish to do so, it's unreasonable to think that you can put your career and your personal life on hold to care for an elderly family member around the clock. Even if you're able to visit several times per week, hiring a home health care aide (such as one from Catawba County Home Health Agency) ensures that your family member will always have care when you aren't able to provide it. Many home care agencies can provide aides around the clock, which means that you don't have to worry about your loved one being home alone in the night. Large agencies can assign teams of workers to each patient, working in shifts to ensure there's always someone with the patient. 

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