When you have a family member who is housebound, whether from a long-term illness, a serious injury, age, or other disability, you may feel helpless in a lot of ways. While you may want to find a way to help them overcome their current predicament, you may be unable to do so and are unsure of what you can do to help them in the meantime. There are several different care options available to help you care for your loved one and provide them with the assistance that they need when they are housebound. Get to know more about a few of these care options so that you can be sure that your loved one gets everything that they need.
Supportive In Home Care
There are different levels of care that your family member may need when they are housebound. Supportive in home care is essentially the most basic form of care. Also referred to as non-medical home care, supportive services can vary a great deal depending on your loved one's needs and wants.
A supportive home caregiver may provide companionship services while you are at work or have other responsibilities outside of the home. This can be as simple as conversation and watching TV together or can include activities, reading to them, and the like.
Supportive in home care can also include housekeeping, meal preparation and serving, pet care, laundry, and running errands for your loved one. Basically, supportive care is a hands-off type of care that does not involve helping your loved one with their health and daily activity needs.
Personal In Home Care Services
On the other hand, personal in home care services are an option that can provide your loved one with the physical and medical assistance they may need. There are multiple types of personal care that your loved one can receive.
If they do not require wound dressings, medication, or the like, you can have a personal caregiver who is not a CNA or nurse to provide the services (which can save money). Non-medical personal care providers are trained to help with transfers from the bed to a wheelchair or to standing and to provide mobility assistance. They are also able to provide hygiene and bathroom care to help your loved one use the restroom, bathe, dress and undress and the like.
Medically trained caregivers can also administer medications to your loved one, change dressings on wounds, change out IV bags, and deal with colostomy and catheter drainage bags. They are also able to monitor vital signs and often work directly under the supervision of a doctor or registered nurse.
Now that you know more about the different types of care services available to your family member who is housebound, you can be sure that you get them the right type of care for their specific needs.
