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Health & Fitness

Elderly in Home Personal Care Doesn't Mean Becoming a Hermit

In home personal care supports your independence by allowing you to maintain an active lifestyle.

In home personal care can seem a bit scary to a senior used to being independent. It could be that you haven't been thinking about hiring personal care at home, but your adult child has been discussing in home personal care. One thing is certain. You don't feel ready. Help is one thing, but in home personal care sounds like you’re going to lose your independence. You are afraid you won’t be able to go out when you want or visit your favorite places. You might even fear that you will become a hermit. That’s just not true. Living like a hermit means to withdraw from society and become a recluse. In home personal care does not make you a hermit.

The goal of in home personal care, sometimes called in home support services, is to keep you living independently. In other words, personal home care is ideal for an individual who can live by his- or herself with a little extra help. For instance, you may need help with personal care like grooming or dressing. However, you’re still able to attend the 6th Street Playhouse or travel to the Santa Rosa Farmers Market. So you could hire someone to help with those tiny buttons and to go with you to doctor visits while you maintain an active lifestyle.

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Could you use a little help?

In home care agencies offer a variety of services to help you maintain your independence besides assisting with grooming, dressing or bathing. Other services include:

  • Light housekeeping, which includes cleaning bathrooms, laundry, grocery shopping, dusting, and emptying trash.
  • Meal preparation, which consists of planning, preparing, and serving meals (dietary restrictions are taken into consideration).
  • Medication reminders to ensure an individual takes his or her medicine as prescribed and at the correct times.

In home personal care doesn’t only focus on daily activities. It’s also about providing companionship. You may need emotional support or just someone to talk with during the day. In home personal care provides that service. That sounds like the opposite of being a hermit. What do you think? None of these things take the independence out of living. You can still do the things you love whether it’s meeting friends for lunch or attending the Santa Rosa Symphony. The agency sends one of the following depending on the specific needs of the personal services requested:

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  • Personal care aides.
  • Companions.

Personal care aides and companions are available from one hour to 24 hours.

Everyone is taught to be independent. It’s what your parents taught when you were younger and what you taught your children. The desire to become and maintain independence doesn’t decrease with age, but increases. There are ways to maintain independence, whether it’s working part-time or taking the grandchildren to the Charles M. Schulz Museum. Having someone to help you around the house or with your some personal needs won’t turn you into a hermit. You won’t sit at home locked away from the world.

If it's your choice, you feel better about it.

If the subject of in home personal care arises, you don't need to become scared or defensive. Think of in home support services as a way to maintain an independent, active lifestyle without moving away from home. In fact, no one has to know that you’ve hired someone to help you take care of some personal things like hygiene or housekeeping.

Besides, having personal care at home has its advantages. If your children are constantly talking to you about getting someone to help around the house, having personal in home care is a way to stop them from nagging. It’s the perfect win-win situation. Besides, there’s plenty to do in Northern California. What are you waiting for?

For more great information, please come visit the blog at our Sequoia Senior Solutions website.
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