Discover the ins and outs of home health care services with our comprehensive guide. Learn about types of care, how to hire and useful tips to ensure success.
Milan Eldho
The movement towards aging in place is profound. According to the National Home Modifications Survey, a whopping 78 per cent of Canadians want to age in their homes. This strong desire to “stay put”, as opposed to relocating to assisted living facilities or retirement homes, speaks the modern-day language of seniors who value their independence and autonomy tremendously.
But aging brings with it natural cognitive and physical decline that, more often than not, require support and care inside the home.
CMHC stated in November of 2023 that older adults are staying in their homes longer and there are fewer home sales reported in these age groups over the last several years.
It’s no surprise then, that home care services are on the rise, giving seniors the opportunity to fulfill their wish of staying in the comfort of their own homes. These support services can ensure the safety, health and well-being of your aging loved one, while also respecting their preferences and self-sufficiency.
As you research and analyze whether the ideal choice is home care or institutional care, weigh the pros and cons of each in order to make an educated and informed decision that aligns with your needs and those of your family member.
This article serves as a guide to provide you with an in-depth overview about this important, and increasingly popular, service for seniors.
Home care refers to any form of professional support service that enables an aging individual to live safely inside their home. Private home care for the elderly is a personalized approach to healthcare tailored to meet the specific needs of each person.
This might include basic services such as assistance with daily activities including bathing, dressing, meal preparation and medication management. Or, it may involve more specialized medical care provided by certified health care professionals or registered nurses such as the administration of at-home intravenous (IV) therapy or the specific management of chronic conditions.
Home care plays a vital role in the modern healthcare system in a few ways. It allows seniors with health challenges to age in place, remaining in their familiar environments where they feel most comfortable and secure. Various forms of at-home care assistance also act as attractive alternatives to facility-based care and hospital stays.
This reduces the strain on the Canadian healthcare system because wait times are lowered, and in many cases, healthcare costs are decreased for families and communities.
Home care services come with advantages and disadvantages – so it’s critical that you carefully analyze your elderly loved one’s situation and weigh your options accordingly. While home care is not for everyone, it’s also a highly-useful service that ought to be thoroughly considered.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2021 6% of Canadian households used formal home care. And the use of home care was higher in neighbourhoods with a larger proportion of seniors. As of 2021, 7% of all seniors in Canada (including nearly 1 in 3 Canadians aged 85+) were living in a collective dwelling such as a nursing or long-term care home. But, it’s important to recognize the fact that the majority of elder Canadians do not live in these types of settings. Read the full report here.
In–home care services or personal care services enhance seniors’ quality of life by enabling them to continue living in their homes, where they feel happy, safe and relaxed. Since this form of care focuses not only on physical health, but also mental and emotional, it raises a senior’s overall state of wellbeing.
Because they are at home receiving the care they need, senior independence is upheld. This reduces the risk of infections associated with hospital stays, and provides individualized personal care services that addresses specific health needs.
Hospital and facility-based care tends to be expensive, whereas private in-home care often serves as a cost-effective alternative, letting you save money but also helping your elderly loved one obtain the support they need by delivering high quality care.
Your senior home care plan is customized to the needs, preferences and schedule of your loved one, providing an intimate and comfortable care experience. With the flexibility to add, take away and change the services provided, your family member’s care can evolve with their changing needs over time.
Home care support means undivided attention for your loved one, often equating to a more thorough and individualized service.
Because care is provided inside the home of your loved one, you are naturally more involved in the oversight and management of that care. This gives you the ability to closely monitor the services provided for greater peace of mind.
Live-in assistance for the elderly is a profoundly personal service, and that means it isn’t always easy finding the ideal caregiver for your loved one. The risk of mismatch, along with the potential for dwindling competence and reliability, can lead to poor quality of care.
Even though your senior loved one may have company and support from their in-home caregiver according to a specific schedule, there is still lots of time that they will be spending alone and isolated. This increases the likelihood of negative impacts on their mental and emotional wellbeing.
In order to age in place safely with the help of an at-home caregiver, your loved one’s home is likely to require modifications such as stairlifts, ramps, grab bars, handrails and automatic doors. These tend to be costly and disruptive to the home environment.
Depending on the needs of your loved one, they may require specialized medical tools and equipment. At home, this access is far more limited than it would be in an institutional setting.
There isn’t nearly as many rules and regulations governing private in-home care than those in place for senior facilities. This can pose a certain level of risk in the safety and quality of care provided in individuals’ homes.
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There is no doubt that there is a clear place for institutionalized senior care, but there is also no denying the fact that aging in place is more desirable and more common than ever before. Particularly as Canada’s population ages and this preference continues to trend upwards, the need for home care assistance will continue to rise.
As the number of senior households rises in the years ahead and as Canada’s aging population is projected to reach 20-30% by 2068, more seniors are expected to stay in their existing homes.
MF Homecare is a user-friendly app that connects you instantly with senior home caregivers in your area who work independently. The app decentralizes the industry and makes it possible to specify precisely what in-home services your loved one needs (no more, no less) and enables you to get help quickly – in as little as 90 minutes!
In-home care services are highly flexible and customizable. There are numerous types available, giving families like yours the ability to personalize the service their loved one receives at any given phase in their aging journey.
Here are the most common types of home care services, which can be selected and combined to form the perfect care plan for your senior.
Home care support services range from basic assistance right through to complex medical attention. But no matter the type of service your loved one requires, the goal of in-home care is always the same: give the senior the ability to live as independently and comfortably as possible by receiving the care they need right in their own home.
Particularly because it is such an intimately personal service, finding an exceptional caregiver can be the difference between a highly stressful situation and a beautifully seamless arrangement.
Here is a step-by-step guide to help you get on the right path to hiring the perfect home care provider.
First, determine whether or not you are pursuing public or private in-home care services. Public home care is in-home assistance for seniors and people with complex medical conditions. If your senior loved one qualifies, this care is paid for by the government.
On the other hand, private home care is provided by companies and organizations not managed or paid for by the government. There is no need to qualify for private services, and rather each senior is matched to the type of care they require, which is then paid for by you and your family.
2. What services are needed?
Take the necessary time to evaluate the current condition of your senior loved one and make note of their daily difficulties and struggles. Ask yourself the following questions to help you uncover what services they require in order to remain in their homes safely, comfortably and happily.
3. Who can offer these services?
Once you have a solid idea of what your senior needs help with, you can begin to research home care providers. A good first step is asking any friends and family members if they have referrals. If not, search for “in home care” or “in home care providers” online. See who the first 5 companies or individuals are in the search results (after the sponsored ads) and contact them.
4. Where are they located?
Find out where the home care provider is located and how they will get to your elderly loved one’s place of residence. Be sure the proximity makes sense, which will maximize reliability.
5. What is their availability?
When is the provider available? Does this match your senior’s schedule? There must be alignment in timing and schedules in order to ensure that your loved one gets the type of care they need, when they need it, and with absolute consistency.
6. How is their reputation? Do they have reviews and testimonials?
Find out how other families feel about the services provided by the home care provider. Are these clients happy? According to their feedback, are there any red flags?
7. What do they charge?
Particularly if you are on a budget, be sure to raise the question of price early on in the conversation. Confirm that the provider’s rates are reasonable and within your expectations.
8. Do they have licensing and accreditation?
Where applicable, ask about their licenses, credits, certifications and education. Depending on the type of home care services you are hiring them for, there may be certain requirements. In cases where a certification or license is not needed, reviews and testimonials play an even bigger role in your hiring process.
There are two key elements to keep in mind as you hire a home caregiver: on-paper qualities and off-paper qualities. While it’s critical to choose a skilled and qualified home care provider who looks great on paper, it’s also equally as important to select an individual whose off-paper values, beliefs and personality align with those of your family and loved one. In other words, do your research but trust your gut instincts too.
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Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you hire and evaluate a professional caregiver or supplement these services with care from yourself and other family members.
In order for seniors to thrive in at-home care environments, they need:
Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you hire and evaluate a professional caregiver or supplement these services with care from yourself and other family members.
In order for seniors to thrive in at-home care environments, they need:
It can be difficult to know which option is better for your aging loved one, in-home care or assisted living in a group facility. It’s a decision weighed by many families as they do their best to determine where the senior will prosper in their later years.
Take a look at this chart below that outlines the key differences between each form of senior care, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each.
| In-Home Care | Assisted Living Care in Group Facilities | |
|---|---|---|
|
Description |
Care provided in the senior’s own home, focusing on personal care, household assistance and medical care (if needed) |
Residential facilities offering personal care and health services for seniors who need assistance with daily activities but do not need around-the-clock medical care |
|
Pros |
Comfort of home, personalized care, one-on-one, flexibility of schedule, independence, potentially lower costs than group facilities |
Built-in community and social activities, no home maintenance, access to immediate care when needed, includes meals and housekeeping |
|
Cons |
Can be expensive for full-time care, limited social interaction, may require home modifications, risk of poor caregiver reliability and consistency |
Less privacy, can be expensive, less personal care and one-on-one attention, may have restrictions on personal freedom |
When you understand the nuances of each form of care, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each, you can make an educated and informed decision for you and your family. Ask the critical questions and take the time to determine which form of care will be better once all factors are considered including family and senior preferences, safety, risks, costs and long-term viability.
What’s in store for the months and years ahead?
With the number of seniors in Canada rising to never-seen-before numbers within the next several decades, there is no doubt that home care services, and how we access them, will undergo significant changes. The increasing need for care will demand faster access, more flexible services and greater control.
Innovative apps
Take the MF Homecare app, for example. We are changing the home care industry by eliminating the need for you to go through an agency in order to get your loved one the care they need. Our app lets you select the exact home care assistance services required, customize your plan, find the most fitting and independent providers, and then book your service of choice – quickly, efficiently, autonomously.
Technology integrations
We can look forward to smart home technologies designed to make it easier for seniors to control their environments and remain independent. These include voice-activated devices, smart thermostats and automated lighting systems. The Internet of Things (IoT) will make it all the more possible for devices to communicate with one another, further automating home care services, such as medication reminders or monitoring home security.
We will see wearable technology enable better monitoring of the health of seniors in their homes, including checking and recording heart rates, sleep patterns and physical activity. This can make it possible for caregivers and medical professionals to be alerted before health concerns become serious.
Telehealth
Seniors will increasingly be able to consult with healthcare providers without leaving the comfort of their homes. This, coupled with remote monitoring, can give providers an instant real-time view into the senior’s current state of health so they can make sound decisions.
AI and machine learning
These technologies are beginning to be used in senior home care as a means to predict health events, personalize care plans and optimize the caregiving process. By analyzing huge amounts of data from health records and daily monitoring devices, these technologies can identify key patterns and forecast potential health risks.
Cognitive health tools
With a growing focus on the maintenance of cognitive health, there are numerous apps and online tools emerging that can offer mental stimulation and also monitor cognitive health over time. This can play an important role in the early detection of cognitive decline, therefore making it possible for timely interventions to take place in a proactive manner.
Particularly for those living with dementia, a number that is also rising across Canada, there are technologies to help these elders stay at home safely and independently. Take a look.
As you navigate the home care system, there are numerous factors at play and considerations to make. From analyzing the individual needs of your senior loved one and researching the services available, to customizing the care plan and finding the ideal provider to hire, there is an extensive process to follow. But it’s also comforting to know that there is incredible home care assistance available. It just takes a little time and education (and sometimes the perfect app) to arrive at the most ideal solution.
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Milan Eldho
