Many seniors are choosing to age in place at home instead of moving to an assisted living or nursing facility. To maintain a good quality of life, some seniors may need additional assistance with their medical or personal care and daily household tasks. Deciding whether a “home care nurse” or an “in-home personal caregiver” is required is a crucial first step.
What Does an In-Home Caregiver Do?
An in-home personal caregiver provides non-medical assistance for adults needing personal care, including daily tasks. Professional in-home caregivers help older adults maintain their independence, continue living at home, and age safely and comfortably.
Caregiver tasks may include:
- Assistance with grooming, bathing, toileting, and dressing
- Meal preparation
- Light housekeeping
- Errands and shopping
- Medication reminders
- Assistance with mobility and transfers
- Transportation
- Companionship and socialization
In-home caregivers may also have additional training in cognitive health that enables them to handle seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia effectively.
What Does a Home Care Nurse Do?
A home care nurse is either a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who offers nursing-level medical care to individuals in their home. Home care nurses provide treatments that may include:
- Wound care
- Respiratory therapy
- Tracheotomy care
- Diabetes management
- Ostomy care
- Injections
- Infusions
- Medication administration
- Post-surgical care
Other medical providers — such as registered dietitians and physical, speech, and occupational therapists — may also offer specialized healthcare and rehabilitation services in the home.
Which Type of Care is Right for You?
The first step is determining whether your loved one’s needs are medical or non-medical.
If your loved one needs in-home medical support, discuss their situation with a doctor. In-home care provided by nurses is typically recommended by a physician and paid via insurance. Care is limited to the individual’s physician-documented medical needs.
In-home nurses often provide care for the short term (during the time of a patient’s illness or injury). Some patients with chronic or progressive conditions may need in-home medical assistance indefinitely. The duration of visits is also limited to the time it takes to provide the recommended care. Examples include a one-hour visit for a monthly infusion or a 15-minute visit to change a dressing and administer medication.
If your loved one needs non-medical personal assistance, a professional home care provider from a reputable home care agency such as Visiting Angels Newton/Canton might be the right choice. Clients and their families can select the required hours and tasks, even if those requests are for respite care only.
Visiting Angels offers numerous types of care arrangements, including:
- 24/7 care
- Live-in care
- Overnight care
- Weekday care
- Weekend care
- Evening care
- Holiday care
- Respite care
- Temporary care
- Long-term care
- Long-distance care
Schedule a free home care consultation with Visiting Angels Newton/Canton to learn more about available services and how an in-home personal caregiver might be able to assist your loved one.
About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning home care agency providing high-caliber in-home care services for seniors and people with disabilities for over seventeen years. Countless families have benefited from our at-home care, senior companion support, in-home respite care, live-in and 24-hour home care, dementia, and Alzheimer’s care, transitional aid, and private duty care services in Stoughton, Natick, Wellesley, Dedham, Needham, Brookline, Canton, Watertown, Jamaica Plain, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Westwood, and neighboring communities in Massachusetts. The non-medical assistance provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton home care can significantly impact your loved one’s happiness and quality of life.
