When you or a relative starts to grow older, you’ll notice that it becomes increasingly difficult to perform basic tasks due to a loss of motor function and a general increase in fatigue throughout the day. Small-scale tasks such as replacing batteries in a device can start to become difficult due to a loss of dexterity, and your lack of mobility may cause you to stay in a downstairs room instead of moving upstairs to your regular bedroom.
These types of issues can prompt you to start thinking about finding a suitable care home or a retirement home to live in, but there are plenty of options to help you find home care in Australia so that you can remain in the home you’ve worked so hard to obtain instead of moving out. There are plenty of advantages to home care and with support from the right home care serviced in Sydney, you could continue living as independently as possible and live out your golden years with confidence and satisfaction.
In this article, we’re going to talk about everything related to home care in order to give you a full understanding of what home care is, how it works, how you can afford to pay for it should you be concerned about the financial side, and also talk about the benefits of home care in Sydney.
What is At-Home Care?
To start, let’s discuss what home care actually is and what it involves so that you can get a better understanding of how the services are provided.
Home care is essentially an alternative option for existing retirement options such as staying in a retirement home or moving in with family members. It’s to provide a cost-effective solution to help you with general matters that you may be concerned about such as your loss of mobility, hearing problems or general care needs to help you continue living your life in confidence.
Common Services During At-Home Care
At-home care is often described as a bespoke service because what’s offered depends on the person ordering the service. For example, some at-home care services in Sydney will involve grocery shopping, cooking and maintaining medical needs. However, other care services might involve communication and social support to ensure that you stay in the loop with friends and family members with the help of technology and don’t end up isolating yourself from the rest of your family or the local community.
Certain at-home care services can also be tailored to those with medical conditions that dictate most of their needs. At-home carers often aren’t medical professionals, but they do have medical training that allows them to take care of most of the important needs that you may have while also being connected to medical services should there be an emergency situation that requires immediate attention from a trained specialist. From post-operative care to mental illness or even cancer care, at-home care services can be tailored to your exact needs.
In short, consider home care services as a way to fill in any issues that you might currently have in your lifestyle. Whether it’s a physical need or a mental one, at-home carers will tailor their services to your needs.
Drawbacks of Other Common Care Options
You may be thinking that there are already many care services available to seniors, and you may have already made arrangements to ensure that you’re getting the right amount of care for when you do lose mobility and need to rely on others for assistance here and there. However, those existing care options might have more drawbacks than you might think.
Common Care Options Available Today
Some of the most common care options include family assistance, sheltered housing and care homes. Elderly home care often involves filling in the needs of the elderly, so the best option is usually something that has to tick all the boxes. Here is a brief rundown of existing options and how they can be beneficial:
- Sheltered Housing – Sheltered housing focuses on giving the elderly a place to live in a small, easier-to-manage property that often releases them from the burden of a mortgage. Sheltered housing provides many amenities and services and there are options to either purchase or rent sheltered housing depending on your financial ability and needs.
- Family Assistance – Family assistance isn’t the formal name of the service but rather just an agreement from family members that they will take care of you. This often involves family members living with the elderly, or the elderly moving in with family members. This is a good option for those that don’t want to manage more financial burdens but does not offer a professional service, and some seniors may find it difficult to rely on family members.
- Care Homes – Lastly, there are care homes. Care homes are the most common option which involves sending the senior that needs care to a specialised housing option that can provide them with all the medical services and amenities they need to live out their golden years with confidence, stability and comfort.
However, all of these existing options do some with disadvantages that are important to take into consideration when it comes to the future of one’s care.
Drawbacks of Sheltered Housing
While sheltered housing may be a fantastic way to offer a senior some independence, it does come with many drawbacks that need to be taken into consideration.
- There are many additional service charges that could surprise you depending on the level of care that you’re offered
- Not all sheltered housing schemes offer medical care and you’ll need to take this into consideration when there are personal care needs
- Residents need to abide by a long list of rules that could hurt their lifestyle, such as rules on not having pets
- It can be difficult to budget for sheltered housing because there are many bills and service fees to pay
- Downsizing may cause problems especially if you have a lot of possessions that you want to keep
Drawbacks of Family Assistance
Relying on your family may sound like a great idea for budget-conscious seniors that want to cut down on expenses, but it can come with many problems as well.
- It’s not a professional service, meaning there are no rules or regulations that protect the senior’s interests outside of the relationship
- You may feel like you’re being a burden on your family especially if they have to change their lifestyles to fit you
- There’s limited financial support for taking care of a senior
- There might not be enough space for all of your belongings if you move in with family, and you might not have a large enough home if they decide to move in
- Since the family members are likely not being compensated, circumstances can change and could leave the senior with no help on certain days
Drawbacks of Care Homes
Care homes are the most common go-to service for senior care, but it does home with some very concern drawbacks that have to be kept in mind.
- Depending on the quality of the care home, it could lead to very poor quality of life
- It can often be inconvenient for families to visit their loved ones in a care home
- Care homes are often subject to being understaffed, meaning they could potentially be negligent and ignore or forget certain needs
- There’s very little interaction with the staff and there’s no telling what the relationship with other residents could be like
- The costs of care home services are rising and might not be financially suitable for you
As you can see, there are many different considerations to keep in mind when picking the right level of care for a senior. We firmly believe that if you want the best home care in Australia, it’s important to consider at-home care options. Not only are there many elderly home care services in Sydney, but they can offer a wide range of benefits that range from financial considerations to creature comforts.
The Benefits of At-Home Care
At-home care services can offer a completely bespoke yet often more affordable option than other care alternatives. From simple tasks to essential medical tests, at-home carers can fit a wide variety of needs.
Simple Everyday Tasks
If you’re not very sick and don’t need much medical attention then at-home care is perfect for helping you deal with very simple tasks such as the following:
- Assisting you in and out of bed
- Helping you wash and dress
- Brushing your hair in the morning
- Assistance with the toilet especially if you have mobility issues
- Preparing food and drink for you regardless of the time of day
- Helping you with your shopping and general outdoor tasks
- Reminding you to take your medication
- Helping you get around, such as visiting clubs and friends or family members
- Collecting medication for you
- Preparing you for bed
In addition, there are also general home care tasks that they can help with. This is especially important if you’re still living in a relatively large home by yourself. These include:
- Dealing with general home-related tasks such as fixing furniture and helping you contact repair services should something be broken
- Washing your clothes, dishes and generally providing basic cleaning services
- Helping you in the garden by taking care of your plants
- Assisting with any hobby-related tasks
If all you need is a bit of general assistance with everyday tasks then at-home carers can provide you with plenty of useful services that will be extremely convenient and offer you more comfort in your everyday life. It will allow you to continue enjoying your life to the fullest and ensure that you’re never limited by physical ailments such as fatigue or mobility issues. Almost every at-home carer in Sydney can offer these services, but what if you need a carer that can provide specialised services?
Specialised Care Services
At-home carers can also specialise their services depending on your personal needs. A good example of this is with disability support or help with certain conditions that you might be facing like heart conditions or sensory loss.
For instance, sensory loss is a condition that can cause a wide range of difficulties in your life. It’s a very broad condition that could either mean you lose the ability to hear or see clearly and in some cases, it could even mean impairment in both of these senses. It’s an incredibly difficult condition to cope with, but it’s one that at-home carers can specialise in so that they can offer you meaningful care services. This includes understanding how to get your attention, such as touching their arm to give them assurance that support is nearby. It can also include a unique support plan that is personalised to your exact needs and offering 24/7 support so that you’ve always got a helping hand ready to assist you.
Another potential condition could be suffering from postoperative discomfort and complications. This is yet another broad category that could cover a wide range of different issues, hence why it’s important to seek specialised help in the form of a home care service in Sydney. By understanding your complications and finding ways to mitigate those concerns, you’ll receive a holistic home care service that will ensure that you’re comfortable with your everyday life and are receiving appropriate level care no matter what you could be experiencing.
Specialised care services are a unique case due to the number of possibilities there are. This is why it’s important to speak to a home care agency that offers in-home care support and discuss what your exact needs are. Care services are incredibly flexible in the level of care they can offer, so no matter how broad or specific your requirements are, there’s a home care service that can offer a bespoke approach to make you feel more comfortable in your everyday life.
Social Care Services
There are times where physical needs aren’t the most important thing for a senior, but rather social care services that can help ensure that you do not alienate yourself from family and friends due to your lack of mobility. Here are some of the additional social care services that a home carer can offer you:
- Help you connect with friends and family members with the internet and technology
- Assist you in travelling outside to visit friends and family members
- Help you prepare your home for visitors if you’re expecting people to come around
- Contact friends and family members on your behalf if you’d like to meet them or set up an event for them
- Introduce you to local communities and clubs to help you integrate
Social care services are often understated when it comes to offering a holistic care service to the residents of Sydney. It’s become an incredibly important part of what it means to offer home care and shouldn’t be left as an afterthought, but instead a part of a high-quality home carer service.
Choosing the Right At-Home Carer
There are many different carers in Sydney. With so many home care services, it can often be difficult choosing the right service that can fit your needs. You’ll need to think about things such as the hours they’re available, the qualifications they have and also their experience. But what exactly should you look for? Here are a couple of points to consider:
- Their skills and qualifications – Carers need to undergo training in order to achieve the relevant qualifications and learn the right skills to take care of those who are in need of help. This helps to maintain a high quality of standard and ensures that you have peace of mind. Qualifications and skills include nutritional knowledge to ensure you’re eating properly, first aid help to assist you if you’re injured and personal care.
- Their lifestyle and how it fits with you – At-home care is a far more intimate journey than going to a care home. It relies on the bond of trust between you and your carer and as such, having lifestyle similarities can be an important consideration. Whether it’s speaking the same languages, following the same religion or having similar hobby interests, focusing on your bond is an important consideration.
- Their experience working with your case – If you have a specific case that demands the utmost attention then it’s vital that your at-home carer has some experience working with someone that possesses your conditions or needs.
- Their location – If you only need a carer for a few hours each day then having the carer live close to you means they can assist with emergencies or last-minute requests. However, if you need specialised 24/7 support then a live-in carer may be a better option since they can offer you peace of mind.
As you can see, there’s a lot to think about when picking the right at-home carer. Thankfully, care services in Sydney are holistic solutions that will provide you with a total level of care from your physical and mental needs to ensuring that you stay connected with your local community, friends and family members.
