How Does 24-Hour Home Care Help With Chronic Conditions?
It’s often impossible to avoid a chronic health condition as you age. Three out of five older adults have at least one chronic condition, and two out of five have two or more. What chronic health care conditions benefit from 24-hour home care? Many of them do.
Arthritis
Start with one that most people have at some point. Arthritis is a joint condition where the joint has been exposed to so much use over the years that the cushioning within the joint degrades. It can reach a point where bone rubs against bone causing pain and stiffness.
Not much can be done for arthritis short of exercise, over-the-counter medications, and heat/cold therapy. But, there can reach a point where joint replacement surgery is best. This is often a knee or hip joint.
After surgery, your mom needs someone with her while she heals. She’ll need someone awake and available to help her walk to the bathroom. She may have medications to take all day and night, and that requires someone to be very aware of the timing. Hire 24-hour home care aides for tasks like this.
Cancer
It’s estimated that men have a 42% chance of getting cancer in their lifetime, and women’s risk is 37.5%. If cancer does impact your mom’s health, she needs support while undergoing common treatments like surgery, chemo, and radiation.
She will need someone with her if she’s feeling sick or weak. Your mom needs someone to help her out at night when she needs to get up and use the toilet or get a drink or snack.
Alzheimer’s and Other Forms of Dementia
Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. As the years pass, your mom’s care needs will increase. Don’t be surprised to find your mom sleeping no more than an hour or two at night. As the area of the brain that regulates sleep deteriorates, sleep will become a problem.
With 24-hour home care aides in the home, someone is there and ready to redirect your mom from wandering off. Your mom has someone to cook her a meal or prepare a snack, keep her company, and assist her with things like putting on a movie or getting dressed.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is often managed through careful diet, exercise, and medications. Your mom also needs to manage stress. After a heart disease diagnosis, she may struggle to remain calm. If she’s the type of person who will question every little twinge, it will help her feel less anxious if someone is with her for now.
As your mom adjusts to how her medications make her feel and her changing lifestyle requirements, arrange to have caregivers with her day and night for companionship. She won’t feel so alone.
Arrange 24-hour home care as soon as you know what your mom needs. Talk to her doctor and get an idea of her care needs going forward. From there, talk to a home care specialist about the cost and availability of 24-hour care services.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796733
If you are considering 24-hour home care in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.