5 Important Facts You Should Know about Non-Medical Homecare

Your aging loved ones need the right type of care and right person for the job. Here you may find yourself a bit helpless as you don’t know how to achieve this. On the face of it, you have hoards of options ranging from home nursing to adult daycare services; but you can’t decide which one among them would be really helpful.

However, if your loved one doesn’t need any medical attention, but only wants a company or help with simple tasks, the best option can be a non-medical homecare provider. Here are a few useful pieces of information you may like to know about this kind of care.

1. What is Non-Medical Homecare?

Non-medical homecare is just what its name indicates – care without any medical assistance. Non-medical homecare providers offer a range of assistance to an aged or disabled individual regarding daily tasks and safety.

Non-medical homecare can also give your aging loved one a scope to socialize and lessen several of the effects of aging that are still unseen such as memory loss and loneliness.

Some non-medical homecare services such as Londyn Home Health Care even go an extra mile and create a customized solution for each of their clients, due to which the seniors can live independently in the comfort of their own home while getting assistance in daily activities.

2. Types of Non-Medical Homecare

Roughly non-medical homecare can be classified into two types: personal care and companion care.

These are quite similar to each other; however they differ in a few ways regarding the type of care a senior will receive.

Personal Care

Among the two types, personal care is a little more practical and can even include daily living activities such as:

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Feeding
• Help in moving around and going to bathroom
• Medical reminders

Companion Care

Companion care is mainly focused on providing social and emotional support, and can include assistance in daily tasks or light housekeeping. It can include things such as:

• Socialization
• Companionship
• Transportation to and from activities and appointments
• Tasks like cooking, making bed, laundry and cleaning

Even though some seniors can lead an independent lifestyle and aren’t quite prepared for this type of non-medical homecare, their life may include one important component: loneliness.

Loneliness is widespread and a non-medical homecare provider can be a reliable friend of the elderly who not only does help with in-home safety but also does relieve the sense of isolation.

Although companion care is great for alleviating the feeling of loneliness, even personal care providers can help seniors socially as well as emotionally.

3. Difference between Non-Medical and Medical Homecare

A major difference between non-medical and medical homecare is the level of care offered.

If a senior has a particular health condition that takes their needs further beyond basic supervisory care, medical homecare is a better option. There are medical caregivers and licensed professionals who can perform tasks like administering medications, changing catheters or offering other types of assistance that need medical training.

Non-medical caregivers won’t be licensed to assist in these tasks.

Medical homecare is best for persons who are rehabilitating from a surgery or illness, or who require more clinical supervision by medical professionals.

4. Is Non-Medical Homecare Right for Your Aging Loved One?

Apart from companionship and assistance with everyday tasks, non-medical homecare is a good option for you if you don’t feel comfortable leaving your loved one alone in home. There are several reasons for this, like your aging loved one:

• Have trouble walking or getting out of bed
• Become less synchronized while walking or doing basic tasks
• Forget things e.g. to turn off oven, to lock the door etc.
• Become disoriented
• Have trouble driving due to which they may face small accidents

Some other warning signs too may indicate that your elderly loved one is in need of extra care. These include a change in appearance such as not having a bath or wearing unwashed clothes, perished food in the kitchen, unpaid bills and other signs indicating that a person is no longer able to fully take care of themselves.

Families should note that choosing the option of non-medical homecare, or for that matter any type of care, doesn’t only include helping your loved one. It’s not always about the elderly needing assistance but when you also need extra help.

When you or your loved one is trying to accomplish the daily tasks, it’s the right time to find non-medical homecare.

When you see your senior loved one struggling with daily activities, you offer help. However, this can become overwhelming, especially when you have other duties to complete, and even need to spend quality time with your aging loved one instead of helping them with the daily tasks. In that case, when you hire a help for time-consuming tasks, you can spend enjoyable time with your loved one.

5. How can You Find Non-Medical Homecare?

There are quite a few ways with which you can find just the right non-medical homecare you want for your loved one. Here are a few:

• Search for individual local caregivers online. Be sure you check the background of candidates.
• Contact a local homecare agency where you can discuss about your particular needs and they can find the best fit for you.
• Ask your friends and family for recommendations. If some of them are already receiving non-medical homecare, they can help you by either providing recommendations or referring an agency to you.

You should note that the individual to whom you’ll handle the responsibility of your loved one should be extremely reliable and therefore background check is very important. Here an organization like Londyn Home Health Care is a best option to go with. They thoroughly screen their caregivers and require them to pass National background checks, drug testing and reference checks with 2 interviews before getting hired. So, here they save you from efforts and uncertainty about how to check the background. Their caregivers also receive continuous training to provide care to patients of dementia, Alzheimer’s and other common diseases associated with aging.

All in all, if you can no longer focus on your work and other errands, just because you’re worried about your aging loved one at home, hiring a non-medical homecare provider is the best option, to get the desired peace of mind and bring more efficiency and functionality to your life.