Conversations about palliative care are never easy. How can families balance the desire to ensure their loved ones stay independent and active with the need to ensure that they have access to the best quality care? What is the best way to ensure the comfort of seniors without putting them at greater risk of accident or illness?
Helping seniors in palliative care make the most of the time they have left is one of the most important questions individuals and families will face should a loved one fall ill, and here are three reasons that in-home care may be the best and most comfortable choice to make.
1. In-Home Care is Less Disruptive
One of the main advantages of providing seniors with in-home care is that they can keep doing many of the things they love to do, like gardening, keeping pets, or even just enjoying a space that is comfortable and familiar.
Many seniors in palliative care already face limitations that keep them from doing things like cooking or going for walks, but moving into a long-term care home often means even greater disruption to routines and the little pleasures of daily life, which is why many experts recommend staying in their homes for as long as possible.
2. Personal Support Workers Provide Excellent Care
Most seniors go into long-term palliative care because of the convenience. Especially in the case of those who live alone, the prospect of being in a place where they will have easy access to things like massage care and professional medical help is appealing.
While long-term palliative care may ultimately be the right choice for some people, it is far from the only option. There are lots of ways to get high quality compassionate in home palliative care with the help of personal support workers (PSWs) who can visit seniors in their homes.
Bringing in the help of PSWs provides seniors with a network of professional care they can rely on, including 24/7 support from registered nurses, help with shopping and groceries, and assistance in travelling to medical appointments.
With the aid of PSWs, seniors can receive excellent palliative care without having to surrender their independence.
3. Staying Home is Often the Safest Option
Choosing to receive palliative care at home isn’t just a matter of personal preference, however — as the coronavirus pandemic has made clear, even the best-run long-term care homes can face challenges when it comes to protecting seniors from the spread of illness and disease.
With so many people living together in one place, staying healthy during flu season can be even more difficult than it normally is, which is why seniors remaining at home can also be beneficial from a medical perspective.
After all, if PSWs can provide seniors with excellent healthcare that doesn’t require them to leave their homes, why should they potentially put themselves at greater risk by moving into a long-term care home?
Seniors considering their options for palliative care face a number of challenges. How can the desire for a comfortable and semi-normal life be balanced with the need for high quality medical care? How can they get the most out of every day without putting themselves at risk of illness or injury?
The good news is that with the help and support of a dedicated network of PSWs and in-home health care providers, seniors can receive palliative care where they feel most comfortable — in their very own homes.