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Benefits of Hiring Professional Home Health Care Services.

Michelle Urbani wrote an insightful piece on why you should hire a professional home health care service provider. Among other things, she lists the increasing demand of everyday living, and the unchanging need to take care of loved ones as the key drivers to needing home health services. Read through this insightful article curated just for you.

Michelle Urbani is a caregiver who works by providing care to the sick and elderly. Depending on the needs of her patients, Michelle’s job can include assistance with personal care and basic food preparation.

During her leisure time, Michelle writes articles about senior care and other topics related to the healthcare industry.

Benefits of Hiring Professional Home Health Care Services

Due to the demanding and time-consuming work involved in taking care of your elderly loved ones who need special care, juggling your personal and professional commitments becomes a real challenge. Elderly people require more care and attention, which you may not always be able to provide because of other commitments. The best solution for this is hiring professional home health care services like those offered by Tandem Careplanning.

If you are worried about the extra expense of hiring home health care services, just think about the benefits it would bring for you and your loved ones. Some of these benefits include:

  • Offering Companionship

One of the challenges that elderly people face is the lack of companionship. Due to this, your loved one’s health may be affected because a lack of social interaction can result in loneliness or even depression.

With professional home health care services, you can rest assured that your loved ones will have someone to talk to or interact with anytime they want. This companionship that is provided by professional home care services can make a huge difference in improving your loved one’s health and quality of life.

  • Home Health Care Services Also Pay Attention to Your Loved One’s Nutrition and Diet

The nutritional requirements and diet of elderly people is very different from that of young and healthy adults. In fact, proper nutrition and food, as well as supplementation for seniors’ health, is crucial to avoid the onset of more health problems in the long run. The best thing about hiring home health care services is that you don’t have to worry about these requirements. Professional caregivers will take care of these for you and ensure that your loved ones always get optimum nutrition from their food.

  • Home Health Care Services Provide Complete Care

Raising a kid can make you become forgetful about important things like taking your daily vitamins and paying attention to your loved one’s health care needs. If this happens often, you should take remedial action and hire professional home health care services instead.

With the best home health care services, you can be assured that your loved one will get complete care. These services include:

  • Meal preparation and planning
  • Wound care
  • Medical care
  • Physical therapy
  • Assistance with household chores
  • Occupational and speech therapy
  • Pain management
  • Psychiatric care
  • Medication administration and management
  • Provision of healthy social interaction and companionship
  • Health monitoring
  • Home Health Care Services Can Help You with Medication Management

More often than not, the elderly has multiple prescriptions that they should regularly take. This may sometimes be confusing to manage, especially if you have a lot on your mind. Home health care experts will help you with your loved one’s medication management by ensuring that the right medications are taken at the right time and in the right amount. With this, harmful drug interactions and unwanted side effects may be avoided.

  • Home Health Care Services Allow More Time with Family

If your loved one is stuck in a hospital with strict visiting hours, it may be hard to spend quality time with family. But with home health care services, the elderly and their families won’t need to think about visiting hours because they can see each other anytime they want to. This allows seniors to continue enjoying the company of their friends and families.

  • Home Health Care Services Offer Personalized Support

What makes professional home health care services a good idea for those who have elderly people in their household is that they offer meaningful, unique, and personalized support. Basically, personalized support means that your loved one will get one-on-one attention. Your chosen home health care service provider will assign a caregiver or a team of professionals who will always be ready to assist with your senior loved one’s needs at any given time.

When compared to senior care facilities, your senior loved one won’t need to wait for several hours just to get the medical treatment he or she requires. You do not even have to look for medical experts who will check the overall health condition of your loved one.

This is the reason why professional home health care services can help your loved one avoid unnecessary hospitalization and aid with recovery after an injury or illness. Plus, the medical care of your loved one may be provided in the comfort of your home, depending on the situation. So, expect enhanced healthcare delivery through home care and see the difference that hiring professionals can make.

Personalized support may often include assistance with safely managing tasks and daily activities, nursing care for a particular period of time, and therapy.

  • The Takeaway

For a lot of families, hiring professional home health care services is no doubt a beneficial choice. That is because such services offer an affordable and safe solution, which provides support for the whole family while enabling their loved ones to stay in the comfort of their homes.

If you have loved ones who require more care and attention but you don’t have much time to give them because of your daily work schedule, you can find the best and most reputable home health care services provider to give them the care that they truly deserve.

Michelle Urbani

Article originally published at:

https://www.healthtechzone.com/topics/healthcare/articles/2020/02/24/444563-benefits-hiring-professional-home-health-care-services.htm

At Strong Tower Home Health, we are always ready to assist your needs, answer your questions and respond to all your inquiries. Our professional caregivers and nurses are ready when you are.

Balancing Childcare and Life’s Demand – Choosing a caregiver.

Experts often say that the early stages in a child’s life play a crucial role in the child’s development and growth. It is the stage of tremendous growth with brain development at its peak. According to UNESCO, early childhood care aims at the holistic development of a child’s emotional, social, cognitive and physical needs in order to build a sound and broad foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing.

It has been discovered that mothers were 40% more likely to report they had personally felt the negative impact of childcare issues on their careers. Childcare challenges have become a drawback, especially for mothers who make job decisions based on childcare considerations rather than in the interest of their financial situation and career goals.

When problems arise with childcare, parents scramble to find alternative options or miss work to care for their children. For lots of parents, that insecurity may lead to taking some decisions such as working fewer hours, taking a pay cut or leaving the job altogether. American businesses, meanwhile, lose an estimated $12.7 billion annually because of their employee’s childcare challenges. Nationally, the cost of lost earnings, productivity and revenue due to the childcare crisis totals an estimated $57 billion each year. (Washington: CAP 2018)

Since the changing nature of our financial environment necessitates a two-income household, quality and readily available childcare is important to parents as it enables them take advantages of opportunities for career advancement. Also, the importance of quality childcare cannot be over-emphasized on the child, as quality childcare directly influences the child’s ability to learn, build healthy relationships and be the best version of himself.

The earliest experiences of a child have direct impact on the brain development and lay good foundation for future success. The use of quality childcare can serve as an essential tool in providing the right environment for positive child development. It is the role of the parents to ensure that their children are in the care of a good caregiver who is loving and responsive to children’s needs, provides a stimulating environment and engages with children by talking and playing with them frequently.

These are some qualities to look out for when choosing caregiver for your child

  • GENUINE AND NATURAL AFFINITY FOR CHILDREN: A good caregiver should be one that is loving and responsive, sociable and interested in children. This worker feels comfortable around kids, gives hugs and cuddles freely and supports children in building healthy relationships with other children and adults. A friendly and positive attitude when around children is a sign of this trait.
  • COMMUNICATION SKILLS: A good child caregiver talks to children and encourages them to express themselves creatively and through words.
  • TRAINED IN CPR AND FIRST AID: When a child caregiver is informed in the knowledge of CPR, first aid and is trained to respond to severe allergies, parents are secured in the knowledge that their children is in safe hands during emergencies.
  • LICENSE: The parents should also ensure that the caregiver is licensed by the appropriate agency or possesses an equivalent certificate to show that they are qualified to take the role of a child caregiver.

In conclusion, having shown the importance of quality childcare on the cognitive, emotional and social wellbeing of the child. Parents should view quality childcare as an investment rather than just a necessity.  Strong Tower Home Health Services is licensed to provide quality childcare services for your child. Strong Tower’s personnel are well-trained and are excited about children.

Covid-19: More People Opt For Home Care Services.

We have implemented the following measures to keep our clients safe:

Wearing masks at all times when we are with a client.

Using hand sanitizer before we walk into your home.

Washing our hands once we enter your home.

Wearing shoe covers while in your home.

Sarah Al-Arshani  of Business Insider USA writes on how a large number of the populace is now embracing home medical care in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of people find this option safer and more convenient.

More People Are Receiving At-Home Medical Care During The Pandemic To Avoid Getting Sick With COVID-19, And It Could Set Home-Health Programs Up For Rapid Growth

“Hospital at home” programs are skyrocketing as more patients feel safer receiving medical treatment at home rather than in at a hospital or doctor’s office, the Associated Press reported.

  • Patients who are acutely ill with conditions such as heart conditions, diabetes, or even COVID-19 may use these programs to be treated at home.
  • Portable medical equipment has made the practice more practical.
  • In countries that regularly use these programs, treatment is cheaper and more successful for patients, The Common Wealth Fund

As many across the country worry about the risk of contracting COVID-19 in a healthcare setting, they’re opting to receive medical treatment at home, the Associated Press reported.

Patients who are acutely ill with heart conditions, diabetes, or even mild cases of COVID-19 may use these at-home services to receive care instead of going to a hospital.

Thanks to modern technology and portable medical equipment, the programs have become more accessible.

The Common Wealth Fund reported that the practice, while not as common in the US as it is in other countries, can cut costs by 30% and can be safer for at-risk patients.

“Hospital at home programs that enable patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their homes have flourished in countries with single-payer health systems, but their use in the U.S. has been limited despite compelling evidence that well-monitored, at-home treatment can be safer, cheaper, and more effective than traditional hospital care, especially for patients who are vulnerable to hospital-acquired infections and other complications of inpatient care,” the report said.

According to the AP, patients who opt for at-home care are linked to video command centers and monitoring devices that can forward information about their vital signs, and provide access to medical professionals.

“I would recommend it in a heartbeat for anybody to be able to stay at home,” William Merry, who received care for pneumonia in July at his Ipswich, Massachusetts, home told the AP. “There was never any problem. Never.”

The AP reported that while it’s unclear how many of these at-home health programs exist in the US, many hospitals that provide their service expanded them during the pandemic to be able to meet demands as coronavirus patients filled hospitals.

Additionally, independent medical companies that provide similar services have since expanded to provide more at-home care. For example, Dispatch Health , which previously focused on sending paramedics to homes to run diagnostic tests or provide medicine to prevent emergency room visits now says it has over 200 contracts with insurers to treat seriously ill patients at home.

However, while the industry is growing amidst the pandemic, its survival depends on whether insurers, both private and public continue to fund it.

“I think most hospitals will go back to normal,” Bruce Leff, a geriatrics professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a home hospital pioneer told the AP on what would happen if the practice isn’t covered.

Author: Sarah Al-Arshani Source: Business Insider USA

Loneliness Amongst The Elderly: Preventing Isolation

Recently, I saw a movie titled ‘Five Feet Apart,’ as directed by Justin Baldonies produced by CBS Films. It placed emphasis on the need for the human touch, how important it is, “it is just as important as the air we breathe,” the narrator said.

Well, at Strong Tower, we understand that life can get pretty busy, a lot busy that we cannot afford to spend the needed quality time with our older parents, as much as we would have wanted. It is never always deliberate that our loved ones are all by themselves, lonely and alone. It does not cost a fortune to see that loneliness lurks around most of our older parents, it stares right to us in our faces.

As much as possible, we wish we can be there with them always, at least, in the remaining days of their lives on earth. Like the old saying goes, “if wishes were horses, beggars would ride,” but, what if we told you that beggars will ride, even though wishes will never be horses? Before then, take a look at this article by Brunet, about Loneliness, how mighty of an adversary it is, the causes, and the need for team work to fight it. Do enjoy the read, and always remember that ignorance is never an excuse.

LONELINESS: A MIGHTY ADVERSARY

You don’t have to go very far to see the face of loneliness. It is everywhere: on a park bench, feeding birds; at an apartment window, watching cars go by; on a rocking chair, alone on a building balcony.

Loneliness is defined as a feeling of emptiness, deprivation or sadness. As our population ages, more and more senior citizens suffer from loneliness. This sense of isolation is felt even more during holidays (December, Valentine’s Day, Easter, etc.), although it can also be present on a daily basis. Loneliness should not be taken lightly since it can lead to serious consequences:

  • loss of independence;
  • eating disorders;
  • increased stress and anxiety;
  • depression;
  • sleep problems;
  • suicidal thoughts;
  • higher risk of chronic diseases (cardiac or vascular, especially); and so on.

It is our duty as a society to prevent our elderly members from suffering from isolation in order to conquer loneliness and its consequences.

THE CAUSES OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION

Several reasons or factors can contribute to loneliness and isolation, including:

  • death of spouse;
  • children moving away;
  • a change in living environment;
  • loss of network of friends;
  • fear of becoming a burden;
  • fear of going out and falling;
  • difficulty communicating (language or hearing problems);
  • illness (ex: cancer, Alzheimer’s disease).

CONQUERING ISOLATION AND LONELINESS REQUIRES TEAMWORK

Loneliness and isolation among the elderly is, first and foremost, a social issue that must be closely monitored by our governments, the medical community, social workers, organizations, etc. In addition, families should be closer to their elderly members and pay attention to the signs indicating that a senior’s well-being might be deteriorating.

If an elderly member of your family or circle of friends seems to be isolating himself or herself, or seems to suffer from loneliness, here is some advice to help you remedy the situation:

Visit the person as often as you can. If you have a busy schedule, make shorter visits more often.

Call the person regularly and encourage him or her to phone you. Make sure that the person can easily reach you. Show interest in the topics that are on his or her mind: day-to-day life, health, hobbies and problems.

Also talk about subjects that interest you, even if you get the feeling that the person doesn’t feel involved. Who knows, you might benefit from his or her advice, and it will also give you the opportunity to make the person feel that he or she matters.

Encourage the person to stay active. Go for a walk together or tag along when she or he runs errands.

When you visit, bring your children or those of family members. Senior citizens often enjoy the company of young children, who represent a great source of joy and entertainment. You can also bring a pet, if you have one, and if the elderly person enjoys that. Animal therapy is a proven method to combat loneliness and isolation.

Suggest adopting a pet. Offer your help in caring for the pet or for vet appointments.

Offer the person your help for personal care or housework. Styling someone’s hair or helping her or him straighten or clean up the house can give you the opportunity to chat and to build a better relationship.

Invite the person for lunch or dinner at your house, ideally with the family. Lively meals are also great opportunities to talk and to enjoy the good things in life.

Encourage the person to join or sign up for various activities: bridge, bingo, arts and crafts, outings with a seniors’ club, dancing, etc. If necessary, drive him or her; you and the other members of your family can even take turns playing chauffeur.

Combatting loneliness means preventing exclusion, poverty, loss of autonomy, and psychological or emotional distress. Everyone must do his or her part to contribute to the well-being of our senior citizens and implement measures allowing them to conquer loneliness and isolation. Our elderly members are a national and familial treasure, so it is our duty to take care of them. As the Beatles famously sang: “All the lonely people, where do they all belong?”

There are several reasons why elderly people can isolate themselves from the outside world. Isolation leads to loneliness, and loneliness leads to isolation. We must all unite our efforts to break this vicious cycle that has major repercussions on our society.

© Brunet 2020.

https://www.brunet.ca/en/health/health-tips/loneliness-among-the-elderly-preventing-isolation/