Home Care Aides for Senior Home Care Patients – Home Care Aide Week

Recognizing the contribution of home care aides for senior home care patients is the subject of our discussion.

Home care aides can be a terrific help and source of support for individuals and their families.  How home care aides for senior home care patients begin their journey with each client is unique.

 

The need for home care aides for senior home care patients is recognized by Medicaid. In many cases Medicaid pays for that need.

 

The Home Care Association of America is the trade organization for home care aides. They supervise the required certification for home care aides.

 

 

The Many Hats of a Home Care Aide for Senior Home Care Patients

Let us first look at the tasks that a home care aide might do for a senior.

These include:

 

  • Help with activities of daily living, which includes personal care and general chores
  • Support for or carrying out the senior medical care routine at home
  • Encourage a senior patient in completing the at-home portion of occupational or physical therapy
  • Provide companionship as a side benefit, or as part of speech therapy
  • Help a senior home care patient in their home; this is the most common setting.
  • Attend to a senior patient in a communal or residential care setting

 

 

Why a Home Care Aide Might Enter Someone’s Life

Everyone’s story is unique.

Many seniors cherish their independence. In addition to that, some seniors don’t exactly love the idea of a stranger entering or becoming part of their home. However, here are a few reasons why some choose home care:

  • Sometimes using home care aides for senior home care patients allows a senior to avoid hospitalization. This is an option when a person’s health is basically stabilized.
  • Many seniors would choose a home care aide over residing in a nursing home.
  • For post-operative rehabilitation, a short-term rehab center or post-acute rehab center might be ideal. Following that, when they go home, the senior can get help from a home care aide.
  • Distant or insufficient family support can be supplemented by home care aides.
  • When the family want more personal care for their loved one, even though the senior is already located in a small care-community or residential care setting.

 

The Aide’s Perspective

A home care aide relationship has two sides, there is the side of giving to the senior home care patient and the other side of receiving. The aide gives a service and should receive respect and appreciation in return.

 

Naming Power

A name or label identifies and differentiates a person. By calling your home care aide by their preferred name, they will feel appreciated and respected.

 

In addition to that, when referring to the home care aide when they are not in your presence, show your appreciation. Refer to them in a respectable manner. In that way you will feel respect for them and appreciate what they do for you.

 

The feeling of respect can become mutual and a relationship of trust and respect can be maintained. That healthy respect will come out in all interactions. In the long run it could benefit the senior home care patient and their family.

 

 

 

If You’re Happy and You Know It, Show Appreciation

There are many ways that a senior or surrounding family can show appreciation for a home care aide.

 

One way might be to maintain communication with them on a regular basis.

 

Periodic gifts to a carer is another tried and true method of saying “Thank you.”

 

Sometimes a meaningful way to show appreciation is through giving a carer a tip.

 

Other ways to show recognition to the home care aide include gift vouchers to stores, or a pampering massage or spa trip.

 

 

Home Care Aide Week

November is the National Home Care and Hospice Month a time for awareness and appreciation.

The efforts of home care aides for senior home care patients are recognized and lauded this November. Home Care Aide Week is between Nov.12 and Nov.18.

 

The special support people and aides fill such a needed role for seniors.

 

Take the time to show your appreciation for the people who are home care aides for senior home care patients.

 

 

Appreciate home care aides for senior home care patients - in Homecare aide week

Home care aides for senior home care patients fill an important need. They can help out with daily chores such as shopping or help a senior complete their routine medical care at home.

 

Photo by Fikri Rasyid on Unsplash