As the nation’s population continues to age, the home care industry is witnessing an increasing demand among retirees for personal assistance.   Today, more and more of the elderly are choosing in home care as an alternative to moving into assisted living facilities.  In past generations however, professional in home care services were less prevalent than today in the 21st century, and people had very few alternatives to retirement homes.  Fortunately, times have changed and now families have the opportunity to choose between a large number of in home care companies, offering a wide range of care possibilities.

That said, even though we now have the opportunity to attain quality in home care, many families are still taking it upon themselves to assume the burden of watching over their loved ones.  In fact, a large percentage of families in this country alone are currently providing care for an elderly loved one.  Not too surprisingly, most of these family members have very little or no formal care training whatsoever.  This formula of family members caring for each other with no previous training is resulting in a large amount of stress and anxiety.  This is somewhat astonishing given the fact that in home care doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.  Most home care companies offer reasonable hourly rates of service, and can accommodate patients for as little as a few hours a day, all the way up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Most people just don’t realize that in home care can be very flexible, allowing for families to decide exactly how many hours per week they require service.

With assisted living facilities, there is less flexibility.  Seniors usually move in to these homes full-time, which can be extremely costly.  Obviously, for some people though, assisted living facilities are exactly what is needed, but families should really take the time to complete their due diligence and determine exactly what form of care best suits their relative in need.  Family members caring for each other, while very selfless and noble, often has a negative effect on the caregiver as it becomes more difficult for him or her to effectively tackle other daily life duties like work, study and familial obligations.  With help from a professional home care company, family members almost always experience less fatigue and stress, and consequently are better suited to handle their other commitments.  This invariably helps strengthen the family unit, and allows for a better state of emotional and physical health.

Lastly, one of the most common misconceptions is that home care providers only provide basic personal care like bathing and changing.  The truth is that home care companies also offer companion care, whereby a staff member can just act as a friend, spending time going to the movies, shopping or just having tea with the senior in need.  Hopefully, having a better understanding of these possibilities will cause more families to look into professional in home care services for their own loved ones.