What Kind of Home Care Is Available to the Elderly?

Home care is a term that includes a wide variety of different kinds of services that elderly and/or mobility impaired individuals can receive in the comfort of their own homes. Home care is a very important way for elderly individuals to keep living in their homes and stay more independent in their lives than they would be living in an assisted care or nursing home facility.

Home care includes different kinds of services like “personal care.” This type of care includes the assistance with different types of personal needs like grooming, bathing, moving to different parts of the home, dressing and exercising inside and outdoors. Health care is also included in home care services, which might involve physical therapy, medical condition monitoring, maintenance of home medical equipment, different medical treatments and administering of medication.

Dietary help is also included in home care, like cooking meals, shopping for food, help with meals at restaurants and nutritional meal planning. It can also include house care, like home repairs, dusting, cleaning and vacuuming. Finally, home care services also include safety services. Elderly and mobility impaired individuals may feel more vulnerable while home alone and out on the town, but a home care specialist can help individuals stay safe and even make a regular call to individuals to ensure their health is sound.

Not everyone who uses home care will require all of the above services. However, Florida residents who want to be extra prepared for the future may want to include a plan for home care in their financial and estate planning. An experienced estate planning attorney can give you more information.

Source: Findlaw, “Home care options for elders,” accessed July 16, 2015