Eldercare is a special care service designed to try and solve the varied needs of senior citizens. Eldercare includes a varied range of services like assisted living, nursing care, adult daycare and home care. With most of the family members of the elderly being working people, there is an increased need for availing senior care services. Although old age in itself is not an indicator of availing such services, the high variety of physical and mental disabilities lead a person to these services.
Importance Of Elderly Care
Getting old with deteriorating health and helplessness depending on others’ support can get difficult. This stage of life of the elderly deserves the most attention, compassion and care. Not only this, but the elderly deserve a life of dignity and importance. It is of utmost importance that they are taken good care of and given appropriate recognition for their service throughout life. Elderly home healthcare provides constant support for the smooth functioning of their life and to provide them with life without worry and anxiety.
With increasing dependency on others for accomplishing their tasks, there is evidence of increased loneliness. The lack of awareness regarding the behavioural and mental change associated with old age leads to home abuse and other inappropriate behaviour by the primary caregivers. This has a major impact on the life of the elderly which further complicates their physiological and psychological problems.
With progressing age, various medical issues such as blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, arthritis, cancer malignancy, joint pains, tuberculosis, as well as kidney infections become common disease affecting the elderly. These issues govern the downfall of the health of the elderly. Negligence from the younger generation further deteriorated the condition. The amount of physical as well as emotional support is inadequately understood by the younger generation which leads them to consider the elderly as a burden.
The elderly deserve a life of good health and a stable and healthy mental state towards the end of their life. They long for care, attention, love and support. If these values are not met by the family caregivers, there’s always a fallback plan to avail assisted or elderly home services.
Elders suffering from cognitive challenges’ require special attention as they undergo serious personality changes which require constant and compassionate love and support from their caregivers. Leaving them unattended in such a condition fuels their sense of feeling dejected, purposelessness, confusion and loneliness. There is a rising need to understand these issues and be considerate about it not to take any unruly approach while dealing with the difficult times the elderly face.
Home care and assistance services actively promote the mental health of your loved one through various activities. One of the important aspects of this is to listen to them while they are talking. The most common problem the elderly face is feeling unheard. They do not have anyone to sit back and listen to the stories they have to narrate. There is a need for a high level of patience and politeness while dealing with their issues. Such services lend a helping hand to those family members who are unable to take care of the elderly either due to professional or personal commitments.
When Is Elder Care Required the Most?
Eldercare and assistance become essential when the elderly face a decline in their ability to carry out their day-to-day functioning. They require assistance in activities like cooking, cleaning, bathing, taking medicines etc. Assistance services act as a substitute for a family member to look over them.
The combination of varied health condition, diseases and physical disabilities in old people make assistance services mandatory for uplifting their life of dignity performed by professionals. The type of geriatric care needed depends on the intensity of problems suffered by old people.
Services and Supports Provided by Community-Based Organizations
Community-based organizations are equipped with a varied range of programs for older adults and caregivers. They are tied up with health care providers who are familiar with nutrition, homemaking, and transportation services. Along with it, many other services are available, including legal assistance and case management services and counselling and respite services for caregivers.
Despite providing quality services, participation in senior centres is insignificant. Lack of awareness about the existence of such services and a lack of trust makes people hesitant to adopt such a service. Such services at present are equipped with more flexible and responsive models to be able to meet a diversity of needs.
Adult Day Services Centers
Adult day services (ADS) centres provide a range of coordinated and upliftment services in a community setting. Such services provide programs for demented individuals to regain their sense of independence and functionality to some extent. ADS also offers medication management for the elderly with mental health disorders
Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities: It is formally known as Naturally Occurring Retirement Community-Supportive Service Program (NORC-SSP). The goal of such service is to unite geographically based elderly with issues related to old age. This service supports a group of the elderly who has aged in place but requires a support system to enhance their life of independence in the community.
There is a gap of communication and trust while availing such services that can make the life of the family members of the elderly much easier. There is an overall reluctance in adopting such means of healthy ageing. This reluctance might stem from various reasons. It might be due to the elderly denial of being dependent on others, the social stigma attached to availing such services, or the cost attached to such services. People may resist congregating with “old people” with distress or a feeling that the services are not sensitive to their ethnic group might keep people reluctant.
The loss of control and acquiring help from an unknown person might not be acceptable for some elderly. There is a need for more flexible and open communication between the professionals who provide such services and the recipient of it. The effective cooperation between the two would greatly benefit the life of the elderly in helping them lead a life of dignity and purpose. Assistance services can establish a mutually beneficial collaborative relationship.
Large scale awareness programs, reaching out to elderly with distress, a compassionate and empathetic approach of the clinicians and the staff associated with elder care services can win over the trust of the family members to keep their loved ones in safe and professional hands. Knowledge of and coordination with assistance services helps create a more flexible and responsive model of bringing a change in society to be inclusive of all sections of people for a healthy living environment.