7 Benefits of a Home Health Aide

If you haven’t already encountered it, there’s a good chance you or someone you love will need long-term care at some point in your life.

There are a lot of decisions to make around long-term care, including whether to opt for home health care. Hiring a home health aide is popular for many families and caregivers.

Currently, there are an estimated 15 million home-care patients and more than 600 million patient visits annually in America.

Choosing between long-term health care options is a big commitment. But there’s a reason home health care services are so popular.

We have compiled a list of the seven benefits of hiring a home health aide.

So what is a home health aid?

Home health aid assists long-term care patients to continue going about their daily activities and receive proper health care services in their own homes. A professionally trained home health aide provides this care.

Unlike the care received in long-term care homes, a home health aide does not have to divide their attention among multiple patients. Because they are visiting the home, their attention is entirely undivided.

They can provide personalized care by catering to individual patient needs. Home health aides may create a healthy diet plan or assist patients with exercise. They also help provide reliable transportation so patients can continue their daily activities wherever possible.

Home health care is often more affordable than long-term care homes as well.

Having a home health aide can help prevent additional trips to the hospital, where expenses can pile up.

Private insurance companies often cover the cost of home health care. For these reasons, staying at home can save money in the long run.

Being able to remain in your home provides a sense of dignity, independence, and comfort.

Continuing to do the daily activities you enjoy in your own space can give you a sense of independence. The comforts of home can also make patients feel more relaxed and well-adjusted because they are in a familiar environment.

Not having to give up the home you built can also provide a sense of dignity.

Being in a familiar space can also help patients struggling with memory loss. Research suggests patients who stay home can recover faster from injuries and illness. 

We can care for our loved ones when they need our support in a perfect world. Unfortunately, other obligations in life make it, so that is impossible for the majority of people.

If you hire a home health aide, they can help lighten the load. Home health aides take care of many of the responsibilities needed to provide care, and they also have the expertise and training to do it well.

Family and caregivers can keep their daily life and obligations peace of mind. You can trust that your loved one is receiving exceptional care.

It also gives patients a sense of dignity because they don’t need to rely on loved ones to care for them.

As we get older, we are often more prone to feelings of loneliness. This is especially true of those isolated at home because of health issues.

Hiring home health care services can provide patients with companionship. Home health aides aren’t just there to care for a patient’s health needs. They are there to keep them company.

Not only does this allow patients to build relationships with another individual in the home, but the companionship can help keep them stimulated. Socialization can distract from the situation and even improve a patient’s memory.

One of the responsibilities a home health aide may take on is managing a patient’s hygiene.

Home health aides can help patients get dressed, brush or groom. They also assist when it comes to bathing a patient, something many family members are uncomfortable doing due to the additional safety risk involved.

Patients will also feel a sense of dignity in not having to ask loved ones for help bathing or going to the bathroom.

As mobility begins to fail, personal hygiene can become a challenge. It is helpful to have home expertise to help with this.

One of the most significant benefits of hiring a home health aide is ensuring the safety of you or your loved one.

Home health aides help patients keep track of their medication.

They are also trained professionals who can eliminate potential hazards in the home and help make a space more accessible for patients. They help prevent falls, the leading cause of injury-related death in elderly patients. If a patient does fall, having a home health aide present could save their life.

They can also help in the event of a patient’s medical emergency, which, once again, can save their life.

Trained home health aides advise families and caregivers when finding the proper medical care outside the home. They customize care toward the patient based on the patient’s individual needs.

Home health aides allow patients to keep their dignity, comfort, and a sense of independence.

Deciding on long-term care for yourself or a loved one can be difficult. But knowing the benefits of home health aides can help make that decision easier.

If you are considering hiring home health care, we can help. Visit our website to book a consultation today and take one step closer to having peace of mind!