The home care industry has seen exponential growth in the past few years. One of the reasons for this is that people live longer than ever before and need to take on home care services as they age. This is a good thing, and home care provides an excellent service for homebound individuals looking to remain in their homes while receiving medical treatment and assistance with everyday tasks. How will I identify my homecare needs?

Assess Your Loved One’s Home Care Needs

Before choosing health home care services, it is essential to assess what home care services your loved one needs. To do this, you should consider:

  • • Activities of daily living (ADLs). These are the tasks that an individual performs in their home regularly, such as eating and getting dressed.
  • • Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). These are home activities that involve tasks that support self-care. Examples of IADLs include home management, home maintenance, and home finances.
  • • Habits and routines. Some habits and ways the person uses every day or multiple times a week may need to be changed when home care services are required, such as driving to work instead of walking.

Assess the Home Environment

On top of understanding a loved one’s home care needs, it is vital to assess their home environment. You can do this by considering:

The home design and layout. If the home has steep stairs or narrow hallways, home health care may not be a home care option.

Access to support services. Suppose your loved one has trouble accessing home services from their homes, such as public transportation not being available or home delivery of groceries not being an option. In that case, home health care may be a more appropriate home care service.

Home safety. When assessing home safety, it is essential to look at home design, home maintenance, and home security.

Assess Home Safety Concerns

It is also vital to assess home safety concerns before deciding on home care services. Some home injuries can be prevented with minor home modifications or changes in daily home living routines. Some home safety concerns that need to be assessed include:

Falling

Falls are a severe home injury and can lead to hospitalization or even death. You can take many home safety precautions, such as modifying the home environment, using non-slip mats in the shower or bathtub, and installing grab bars in the home.

Burns

Burns can happen in a home, and home care home health services should be provided to prevent future injuries. It would help if you took measures such as not using an oven while no one is home, removing items that have been exposed to heat from the stovetop or range, and testing the water temperature before use to prevent home burn injuries.

Home security

Home health care home services can provide home security by ensuring all doors are locked, windows are closed, and lights are turned on.

Select Philadelphia’s Best Home Care Agency

At Victory Home Care, our mission is to provide professional support and home care services to homebound individuals who need assistance in the comfort of their own homes. Our home health aides, clinical professionals, and home care managers strive to deliver excellence by offering quality home care services in Philadelphia.

To learn more about our home care agency, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at (215) 695-5877.