24-Hour Home Care for the Elderly
Aging in place with 24-hour home care has become a popular option for the elderly, especially since COVID has become widespread.
As of 2021, 75% of seniors and retirees wish to age in place and do not want to move into communities or nursing facilities. COVID has made that even more pronounced as many nursing homes and assisted living communities had overwhelming numbers of infections and deaths.
Before COVID, nearly 1/3rd of seniors were lonely and felt isolated. Nursing homes and assisted living communities that socially engage seniors began to deteriorate. Caregivers faced difficult decisions to take on increased workloads or resign.
Even if infections didn’t occur in those facilities, seniors found themselves isolated and alone in the communities where they lived. Unable to see visitors or even other residents, they were left alone in a small room to pass the time for 14 months. Many declined from being isolated for so long.
These communities were choosing between the lesser of two evils. Still, this has caused many families to consider home care services to have protection while preserving visitation.
What you will learn in this blog:
Types of 24-Hour Home Care
There are two major types of 24-hour home care you can receive for your elderly parent.
The first is hourly care, and the second is live-in care.
Hourly Care
Hourly care involves two caregivers in the home for twelve hours per shift, totaling up to a 24-hour day. Usually, the shifts split at 8 AM and 8 PM. There are usually 4-6 caregivers on the case because each caregiver can only work three shifts before going into overtime.
Home care agencies usually charge on a per-hour basis for care. The caregivers can help at any hour of the night to provide fast, reliable response times.
24-hour care for the elderly usually comes up when your parent is up at night often and also active during the day. Prescriptions, dementia, and other medical complications can cause seniors to be awake all night, leading to lost sleep and safety risks during the day.
24-hour care is the most expensive care you can receive, but it ensures your parent has access to an aide anytime they need assistance. It provides peace of mind to adult children concerned about their parent’s safety and respects parents’ decision to age in place.
Live-In Care
Your other option for 24-hour care is a live-in service.
Live-in service means that a caregiver lives at home with your parent for some time. With live-in care, you have fewer caregivers working with your parent, which provides a higher level of continuity.
Live-in services provide the most care for the least amount of money. However, the drawback is that the caregiver can only provide care for sixteen hours out of the day. The other eight is for sleeping and personal time.
To provide quality care during the day, the caregiver must sleep at night. Your parent should sleep through the night or be able to manage to go to the bathroom on their own.
Your parent will receive 24-hour care in the sense that someone is always a few steps away. You also have a caregiver on-site 24-hours per day if there is a crisis.
The other unwritten expectation of a live-in is that it will last for a far longer duration. The idea is that the caregiver accepts the case with the expectation that it will last for many future visits. This expectation isn’t a contractual obligation, but when someone considers moving into someone else’s home, they’ll want to understand their employment length.
Looking for the best hourly or live-in care services? Learn more about everything Minute Women Home Care has to offer!
Why Use 24-Hour Home Care Services?
There are many reasons why families choose 24-hour home care for their elderly loved ones. The most common are medical emergencies, repeated falls, and worsening dementia.
Medical Emergencies
One situation we often see involves unexpected medical emergencies, falls, strokes, or other injuries that result in a hospitalization. After a hospital discharge, families realize they need help. Their mom or dad cannot be left alone.
These medical emergencies happen unexpectedly, causing stress and chaos on how a family will get mom or dad back home safely. We find that emergencies are, unfortunately, the catalyst for many of our 24/7 care cases.
Repeated Falls
Repeated falls are a complex issue for seniors. Falls are spontaneous and potentially life-threatening. Injuries from falls can leave families feeling that any coverage gap is a mortal risk for their parents. Repeated falls can lead to a further decline in their baseline abilities.
That’s why many families choose around-the-clock private home care to supplement fall prevention.
Dementia
Dementia is a common reason families call us. As dementia worsens, adult children must decide if they should move their loved ones into a facility or keep them at home. There are pros and cons to each. For many families, they decide to keep their loved one at home for as long as possible. This decision usually involves 24/7 care.
When someone’s dementia worsens, they wander, which can be a risk to themselves and their home. Falls and emotional outbursts can happen more frequently. Having 24/7 home care for the elderly with dementia is often required for families who want to keep their parents out of the nursing home.
Key Takeaways
Providing 24-hour home care for the elderly is expensive. It’s the most expensive type of care you can get, but for those who can afford the cost, it also provides the most security that your parent will be safe while they age in place and you won’t move them into a nursing home.
This support provides you the peace of mind that your mom or dad is safe in their home. You can rest easy knowing you won’t be getting late-night emergency phone calls.