Sleek car commercials that demonstrate automotive speed and agility on a closed course, America’s Funniest Videos accident reels, scientific myth-busting experiment sequences, and anything featured on dangerous reality television shows have exactly one thing in common: a disclaimer announcing, “Do not try this at home!”
It’s a smart move on the part of those highlighting products and activities that they (while thrilling) could cause personal injury, harm to others, or damage to personal property. Sometimes the media makes living on the edge look glamorous, even attainable. But what about situations at home that simply are inherently dangerous? What about negotiating normal, everyday situations in the home that might become edgy for someone who is afflicted with illness, injury, or other limitations? Everyday life often can’t come to a halt even when circumstances feel like they might warrant a disclaimer: “Do not try this at home!” What can be done when a loved one’s round the clock needs become too risky accomplish alone, but are still better accomplished at home?
Depending on the circumstances, individuals may require comprehensive, 24-hour assistance. These situations arise when the individuals is completely unable to attend to their daily needs.
24-hour Home Care Assistance Following Injury/Surgery
There are a number of situations in which individuals will benefit from remaining in their homes with 24-hour home care assistance. The first is the case of severe physical impairment. When a patient is in the process of recovering from an injury or from surgery or injury and no longer requires hospital care or inpatient rehabilitation, it may not be possible for loved ones to manage their basic needs. In some cases, caregivers need to work or support the needs of other family members, or that the caregivers in the home are unable to physically assist the person in recovery in their daily routine.
Individuals who are recovering from a major surgery or traumatic injury might be tempted to move in ways that might undo the benefits of their medical procedures or further exacerbate their injuries. 24-hour home supervision may help to prevent patients from further harm, assist in recovery, and support them in their daily needs (such as receiving meals and medication, toileting, bathing, changing positions in a bed or chair, changing wound dressings, etc.).
24-hour Home Care Assistance for Individuals With Alzheimer’s/Dementia
The next (and most common) case to be made for 24-hour in-home supervision is in situations of cognitive impairment, in other words, someone having trouble with mental tasks such as memory or reasoning. Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia (often connected with Parkinson’s disease, HIV, or other diseases), brain tumors, stroke, or other injuries may have difficulty with memory, recognition, and perception, making daily routines difficult to engage and sustain. These conditions may affect a patient’s thoughts, actions, and feelings, preventing the person from making positive, healthy, and otherwise reasonable choices regarding food and drink, hygiene, safety, and orientation in the home.
Furthermore, patients suffering from these conditions may also have aggressive tendencies or exhibit other challenging behaviors making it difficult or even unsafe for loved ones to maintain high standards of care in the home. It is common for familial caregivers to enlist professional home care for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients in order to successfully manage their loved one’s complex needs.
Additional Situations That May Require 24-hour Home Care Assistance
Although recovery from injury/surgery and cognitive impairments are common situations that could require 24-hour home care assistance. There are other situations that may also require 24-hour care depending on the severity of the individual’s unique circumstance. Other individuals who may benefit could include:
- Individuals who are entering end-of-life.
- Individuals with special needs.
- New mothers of recent newborns.
Only Attempt Obstacles if You’re a Trained Professional
Caring for a grown person with physical or cognitive impairments can be an enormous, complex job. Such care requires physical strength and endurance, some specialized medical knowledge, organization, and a great deal of accompanying patience.
When considering whether you and your loved one need the benefits of 24-hour in-home supervision, first take into account physical need. Are you physically able to move the person safely at home? It may be that you can go through the motions, but extensive needs to move an unwieldy body – either because the person is larger than you can manage or the person is uncooperative – can cause injuries of your own. A trained home care professional may be able both bring equipment and knowledge of safe maneuvering that benefit both caregivers and patient alike.
Assessing Your Caregiving Limitations
Next, consider the limits of your ability to provide round-the-clock care:
- Do you have a work schedule you need to maintain, even though it is unsafe to leave your loved one alone?
- Do you have a multi-person care schedule for your parents that involve extensive levels communication and frequent gaps or differences in quality of care?
- Is time with your loved one increasingly frustrating because of their patterns of perseveration, forgetfulness, repetitive talking or actions, or challenging, even violent outbursts?
Leaving your loved one alone for even brief periods of time or with care below the level of their need can be dangerous – do not try that at home! Instead, a trained professional will be able to responsibly organize predictable 24-hour routines that can include your assistance or input.
Furthermore, people trained to manage 24-hour supervisory care have training in strategy and technique to negotiate the needs of patients who exhibit confused or difficult behaviors. 24-hour in-home supervision can sometimes be as much of a support to patients as it is to those who love them.
Enlisting Home Care Support
Moving into the role of caregiver for your loved one requiring supervision can be a gradual process or sudden. No matter what the circumstances are, you may feel overwhelmed and unprepared to take on the tasks involved in serving a loved one’s 24-hour needs.
Therefore, when faced with the complexity of care for a loved one who may need and/or benefit from 24-hour home supervision, it’s best to contact a professional. Caregiving operations that may or may not include palliative care or hospice have long-standing experience in organizing schedules, managing medicine and wound-care schedules, the mechanics of moving a person, and negotiating the patience needed in situations of challenging behaviors.
Contact Caring Hands Matter Today!
Contacting a home care agency who specializes in home supervision is something you can and should try if you or a loved one needs assistance with managing the activities of daily living. It’s a benefit to your loved one, to you, and to family members. For more information about how to manage situations when individuals require 24-hour home care supervision, please call or contact Caring Hands Matter online today.