What Is Long-Term In-Home Care and Who Needs It?

Approximately 70% of seniors in the US need long-term care. It is estimated that about 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. is responsible for providing care to a family member, which includes caring for elderly parents. However, many of them have limited knowledge about managing medication, dietary needs, and related care for specific conditions. With professional long-term senior care services, your loved ones can continue to live independently at home. In this article, let’s take a detailed look at long-term in-home care and who needs it.

What Does Long-term Senior Care Involve? 

Long-term in-home care involves assistance with daily tasks. It’s usually required when a person is unable to manage their basic needs, perform daily activities, or maintain health independently. This could be because of:

• The cognitive and physical changes that come with age 
• Chronic diseases
• Disability 
• Alzheimer’s disease or dementia 

Medication reminders and minimizing risks are also essential parts of long-term support. Based on your elderly parent’s specific needs, long-term personal care may include assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) such as: 

• Bathing
• Eating
• Toileting
• Dressing
• Brushing teeth 
• Transferring in and out of a chair or bed

Meal planning, laundry services, housekeeping, and organizing appointments are also a vital part of in-home senior care.

When to Consider Long-term Care for Your Elderly Parent

If you regularly care for your parents or live close to them, you may not immediately see a reason to find a long-term care provider. However, there are some important factors to consider. As your elderly loved one grows older, they may worry about becoming a burden to their families, or they might need assistance for everyday tasks.

In some cases, age-related illnesses and diseases can make long-term care essential, especially for seniors with dementia, chronic illnesses, and disabilities. Occasional falls may become more frequent and pose a greater risk as your loved one struggles to walk or move throughout their home without mobility assistance. They may soon forget whether or not they’ve taken their last dose of medicine, or struggle to buy their own groceries or do laundry. When your loved one is going through such conditions and situations, it’s better to opt for professional in-home long-term seniors care services. 

What to Look for When Considering Long-Term Care at Home

When you’re ready to look for long-term in-home care, where do you start? One way to begin is to prepare a list of your loved one’s specific needs and wants. These could include emotional and physical needs. Finding the right in-home long-term senior care service requires a comprehensive assessment of their unique needs. Some of the most important aspects of long-term assistance and care include: 

• Mobility assistance
• Dietary needs
• Hygiene and personal care
• Shopping
• Supporting cognitive health

Providing an in-depth list and details of your loved one’s needs can provide a good foundation for finding a suitable in-home caregiver for long-term support. You should also consider the following questions:

• Are they trusted by other clients?
• Do they ensure continuity of care even when the assigned caregiver is unavailable?
• Are their services personalized and flexible? 
• Do they accept your long-term care insurance? 

Reasons to Choose Nurse Next Door McLean’s Long-Term Care Services

When you choose Nurse Next Door McLean’s in-home long-term senior care services, you’ll have access to trained caregivers. They can assess your loved one’s needs, customize the services accordingly, and meet their unique needs over a long period of time. Besides this, they ensure a high quality of life and independent living at home. From assisting with ADLs to Alzheimer’s care at home, we offer multiple types of non-medical support as part of long-term care. 

We also accept long-term care insurance to make sure you can provide the best support to your loved one with ease. Besides this, to make the process more convenient for you, we provide guidance with long-term care insurance. We even offer the option of Assignment of Benefits (AOB), which makes your finances easier by allowing the insurance provider to pay Nurse Next Door McLean directly.

Call us now at (703) 774-9421 to empower your parents with trusted long-term care.