Can Home Care Help End Isolation and Loneliness?
Too many older adults retire and find their social circle shrinking. As friends move to new countries or states for a lower cost of living or move closer to their grandchildren, your parents need to expand their social circle to add new friends.
The problem is that it’s not always easy to find new friends if you don’t leave the house often. Have you looked into the benefits of home care when it comes to avoiding loneliness and isolation?
Their Home Care Aide Can Check In
You live hours away, making it hard to stop in and check on your parents after a storm, during a power outage, or in a heatwave. You worry that the air conditioning isn’t working or that the power outage has your parents without power as their well pump isn’t running. They’re isolated, and it worries you.
A home care aide can stop in and make sure they’re okay. Suppose they need to go somewhere else until power is restored or their air conditioning is fixed. In that case, the caregiver can arrange an area hotel or evacuation center and let you know.
Your Parents Have Someone to Shop With
Your parents may not like to drive, but they can have their home care aide take them to stores. If they have a hard time reading the smaller print on a price label or nutrition label, they have an aide to help out. Caregivers can carry your parents’ purchases, bring bags into the house back at home, and put items away.
Rainy Day Activities Provide Stimulation
When it’s raining, your parents may become bored or restless. They can’t go outside to their garden. They need to get an umbrella and raincoat if they go for a walk, but they don’t love wet feet and pants. Instead, they stay inside and struggle to find things to keep them busy.
Caregivers can join them for games or movie afternoons. They can help your parents with hobbies or get them to help bake cookies or make a loaf of bread. If they want to go out and tour a museum, caregivers can escort them, too.
They Engage in Meaningful Conversations
With a caregiver stopping by each week or every day, your parents have someone to talk to. Socialization increases, which is vital for their mental and emotional well-being. You arrange how often they need companionship services, and you’re welcome to increase the number of hours or days.
Isolation and loneliness do not have to keep your parents from aging at home. Talk to a home care expert about companionship services. With caregivers available to visit as often as your parents want, you enjoy peace of mind knowing your parents get to stay in their home without risking their safety. Call a home care agency to get started.