The Increasing Need for Care
With life expectancy rates increasing every year, the disability rates of elders are expected to triple by 2040, according to the Administration on Aging. Florida has 2.8 million elders, the second largest elderly population in the U.S. With many elders living alone or in busy households, where will they find the health care they need?
Different Health Care Solutions
One solution is for a family member to provide the home health care, and in fact about twenty percent of Americans do care for their aging parents. However, these family caregivers experience considerable difficulties providing the care. Poor health, job absenteeism, and feelings of depression and isolation make the family caregiver’s life full of burden and struggle.
Moving elders into nursing homes for health care is another option, but this can be a poor decision for several reasons. First, most elders don’t want to leave the homes they’ve lived in for years. Life in nursing homes can involve a lessening of personal dignity, a lack of individual control, a separation from family, and a disruption to one’s regular pattern of life.
In addition to being costly, nursing homes also provide poor one-on-one care. An average nursing home CNA visits a patient only 2.7 hours a day, according to the AARP Florida State Director. Patients are lucky to be seen once every few hours in nursing care facilities that cost patients tens of thousands of dollars a year!
The Best Solution: Home Care
The best solution for elders who want to continue living at home is home health care. A home caregiver can offer personal care that involves not only nursing and other medical assistance, but also sincere companionship.
Contented patients remaining at home in households free of caregiver stress, where they are close to familiar surroundings, experience the best environment for recovery. A home care provider removes the burden from the family and gives the nursing care needed for the patient’s return to optimum health.
To schedule home health care services, contact us at 727-442-5612 or 1-888-449-2767.
