10 Reasons You Should Consider Home Health Care

Home health care benefits our loved ones and ourselves. Imagine freeing your loved one from the stresses of doctor visits and unexpected trips to the ER. Imagine freeing your heart of the guilt brought on by seeing a loved one in an unfamiliar hospital room, uncomfortable and unsure.

Then there are legitimate concerns as to why home health care is beneficial. Hospitals are understaffed. Doctors and nurses are overworked. Medical technologies and equipment are limited. These factors compromise hospital care, especially among our increasing senior population.

Older Ontarians make up 14.6 percent of the province population. That is over 1.8 million people aged 65 and older whose demographic will double in the next twenty years. These figures and their impending influences on the Ontario health care system are addressed in Living Longer, Living Well, a report to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and the Minister Responsible for Seniors on recommendations to Inform a Seniors Strategy for Ontario.

Housing Services Director of Cochrane District Social Services Brian Marks told the Timmins Daily Press, “Weve got hundreds of seniors who live in units that need supports, and theyre not getting them.” Marks says home health care is the answer. “[W]e know the burden can be lifted if the (health-related) supports could just be delivered where the seniors already live.

The benefits of home health care are innumerable:

Benefit #1: Your loved one receives continual home care from experienced and compassionate caregivers.

Benefit #2: Your loved one minimizes their doctor and specialist visits, lessening challenges associated with scheduling appointments and driving to health care facilities.

Benefit #3: Your loved one avoids unnecessary trips to the ER, steering clear of overcrowded ER lobbies, endless wait times, and undesired frustration and panic.

Benefit #4: Your loved one stays healthier longer because they receive immediate and quality medical attention.

Benefit #5: Your loved one heals faster, not only because they receive immediate health care, but also because they feel comfortable in their own home, contributing to self-healing.

Benefit #6: Your loved one lessens unintentional burdens on family members whether they be time, spiritual, emotional, or financial.

Benefit #7: Your loved one stays happier, promoting a positive outlook and encouraging family to share their sentiments.

Benefit #8: Your loved one stays at home longer because they are healthier and happier.

Benefit #9: Your loved one remains independent, continuing their abilities to do things, such as chores and hobbies, on their own.

Benefit #10: You loved one enriches the quality of their life because everything they love and do is near them.

Hospitals and emergency rooms should not be the last answer. They are but one resource to support our loved ones’ health needs. Our loved ones deserve to continue living lives they are accustomed to even when their health and support needs change. We deserve to be confident in the health care choices we make with them. Home health care complements both their needs and ours.