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What Can Be Included in a Home Care Package?
Date Updated: December 9, 2024
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Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
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Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
Diverse nonmedical support services can be included in a home care package. Home care agencies work with seniors, their families, medical professionals and social workers to create tailored service plans to meet individuals’ unique needs. Services support seniors in aging in place safely and comfortably.
Common Home Care Services
Home care benefits seniors who can remain in the comfort of their homes with extra support on a visiting basis. Aides provide practical support with household chores such as housework, laundry, basic maintenance and light gardening. They also prepare simple meals and snacks and go grocery shopping. Additionally, caregivers often help seniors run errands and provide local transportation.
Many home care recipients require assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and grooming. Depending on an individual’s support plan, caregivers also help with toileting, transferring and moving around the home. Some in-home care packages include companionship hours, whereby aides or volunteers provide company and enrichment, such as by watching TV together, discussing current events and playing card games. This companionship reduces the risk of social isolation and loneliness.
Services Excluded from Home Care Packages
Home care doesn’t include medical, therapeutic or rehabilitative services. Therefore, individuals who need skilled nursing services usually find home health care more suitable. Similarly, home health care agencies deliver physical, speech and occupational therapies, as well as medical social services and medication management in the comfort of a senior’s home.
Beyond one-to-one companionship, home care doesn’t offer social engagement or enrichment activities. However, seniors aging at home have several avenues for supplemental community support, such as visiting local senior centers and joining online support groups. In some locations, educational institutes run senior-focused classes for minimal fees, and some areas offer senior volunteer opportunities and volunteer-led friendly call or visitation programs. Residential assisted living provides an alternative to home care for those who require hands-on support and recreational programming in a communal setting.