Understanding the Benefits of Home Care

The Extension of You staff recently attended a day-long workshop with home care training guru Val Neighbors. As an agency, we are challenged to communicate the benefits of home care, so that we can help people get the assistance they need. In our continuing quest to provide the best possible service to our clients, we brainstormed and consulted with Val to find ways to improve our processes. One thing we discussed was the cost of elder care. People sometimes think that home care is expensive, but Val put that notion to rest. We dug into the costs of several different kinds of elder care, including assisted living and nursing homes, and discussed how home care can actually be a cost conscious alternative to other forms of care.

When compared to assisted living and nursing home facilities, home care can actually be a more affordable way to receive care. As an added bonus, home care comes to the client: no need to move to a facility until it becomes absolutely necessary. Most seniors would prefer to stay at home as long as possible, making home care a win-win solution. Take a look at these numbers –

Spreading the Word

We also talked about ways to get the word out about home care options available. For the entire staff at Extension of You, what we do is more than just a business—it’s a calling. We are passionate about caring for a population that is vital to our culture. One of our staff, Elaine, shared a story about her grandparents. They did not have relatives living close by to care for them, and had gotten to the point where they weren’t bathing or eating properly. Elaine said that at that time, her family wasn’t aware that home care services even existed, so her grandparents lived in far from ideal conditions for some time. If the family had known about home care services, her grandparents would have gotten the help they needed and been able to stay in their home longer. You can see why being an advocate for home care is so important to us. As a home care agency, we are challenged to get the word out that there is a place to turn, there is help. It is vitally important to us to share the word that our elders need not suffer from lack of care, and that family caregivers need not be overwhelmed by trying to do it all themselves.

This is where you come in. Would you share your knowledge and thoughts with us? How did you learn about the benefits of home care and the services caregivers provide? Are there things that you still don’t quite understand about home care? Will you share your thoughts in the comment box below?