How Home Care Improves Quality of Life for the Whole Family

When an older person in the family starts needing some support with personal care or maintaining their home, loved ones often divide up the tasks.

As time goes by, those responsibilities can begin to add up. In some instances, family members have little time left for themselves.

One solution that can improve quality of life for both the older adult and their family is in-home care services. In-home care gives loved ones time and space to enjoy each other's company without the pressure of household or personal care duties.

Benefits of Home Care Services

Home care can help make life better in a variety of ways for older people and their family members.

Some of the key benefits include:

• Support personal needs: Having the assistance of a professional carer allows older people to maintain their grooming and hygiene in a dignified manner. It can help spare the feelings of discomfort or shame that may arise when family members are responsible for assisting with personal care needs.
• Provide domestic assistance: It can be harder to have quality time together when you spend your visits performing household chores or grocery shopping. Engaging the services of an in-home care provider can give you that quality time back.
• Deliver peace of mind: A carer from a home care agency can coordinate with your loved ones GP and other medical practitioners. This may help identify small health challenges before they become big ones. The carer can also give medication reminders, provide wound care, and help manage other types of clinical assistance.
• Ensure well-balanced nutrition: From menu planning to grocery shopping, meal preparation, and doing the dishes, home care can ensure your loved one consumes a healthy diet. Good nutrition is a key part of ageing well.
• Give family members a break: While caring for an ageing loved one is rewarding, it can also feel demanding. Respite care is among the most popular services offered by in-home care agencies. You can use it you need a break, or to have a holiday away from home.

How to Pay for In-Home Care

At Mayflower, we understand that your budget might be limited. That's why it's good to know that private resources aren't the only option to pay for home care. Government-funded Home Care Packages (HCPs) are also available for many Australians.

There are four levels of Home Care Packages. They range from lower-level packages to help with basic support to higher-level services for people who require more intensive aged care. The government will conduct an assessment to determine which package is best for your older loved one.

Call Mayflower's home care team on 1300 522 273 to learn more or to schedule an assessment of your loved one's in-home care needs.