If you have a loved one whose health has declined with age, he or she may be reluctant to consider an assisted living facility. Nevertheless, he or she may need help to cook, clean or get dressed. In addition, due to your own responsibilities, you may be unable to provide all the care that your loved one needs. You may be considering hiring a home health aide to assist with the elderly person's care. Even though a paid care provider may not do everything exactly as you would, the help that an aide provides can be invaluable. Here are a few reasons to hire a home health aide to care for your aging loved one:
Your loved one can remain at home.
If your loved one is adamant about not living in a nursing facility, try to honor his or her wishes. Sometimes, being forced to live away from home can cause an elderly person's health to decline. Your loved one may resist the move by refusing to eat or choosing not to get out of bed. It is important to understand that even though your loved one has become older, he or she still has the desire to remain at home in comfortable, familiar surroundings.
A home health aide can help provide care for your loved one inside his or her own home. The elderly person won't have to be torn away from the familiar setting that he or she has grown to love.
Your loved one will be cared for by a person trained in CPR.
Most home care agencies require their employees to maintain a current CPR certification. If your loved one has a medical emergency, the aide is able to call "911" and attempt to resuscitate the elderly person until medical help arrives. As long as the home health aide is there, your loved one won't be left alone to fend for him or herself in the event of an emergency.
The home health aide has a backup.
If you are unable to care for your loved one because you are not feeling well or have an outside appointment, there may not be a backup available to care for the elderly person in your place. However, home health agencies have multiple workers who are able to temporarily handle the duties of your loved one's home health aide if the aide becomes ill or needs time away from work.
As the people around you age, they may need assistance to perform everyday activities. A home health aide is able to help. Contact a home health agency, like A Better Home Health Care, in your area for a consultation.
