How A New York Home Care Agency Can Help Your Care Recipient With Dementia
Caregiving for a person with dementia can be challenging. Many family caregivers take on this responsibility. According to statistics, more than 53 million Americans act as unpaid caregivers in the U.S.
A New York home health care agency is a resource for finding professional, in-home care services for a loved one with dementia. Agencies help support people with dementia, even when family caregivers are involved. Here, we’ll talk about why you might want to reach out to a home care agency:
- They provide trained home health care workers.
- In-home care provides companionship, personal care, and, in some cases, skilled nursing care.
- Agencies provide respite care for family caregivers.
- Agencies help families delay the transition to assisted living or memory care.
We’ll also talk about how to choose a New York home care agency to work with.
If you reside in New York, you have free access to Trualta for even more information about home care, respite, and caregiving. If you live in another state, you can check if you also have free access to Trualta.
Trained, Skilled Home Health Aides
Home care agencies hire and often train and certify home health caregivers. They provide families with options for professional home health aides and even nurses.
An agency in New York saves you and your family the task of finding qualified people to provide quality home care services. Agencies ensure that their workers have the appropriate certifications to perform the duties care recipients need. They hold them accountable and manage them.
Agencies are reliable resources if you need home health care for a loved one with dementia. Reputable agencies are certified or licensed by the New York State Department of Health.
Companionship & Personal Care
Care recipients with dementia benefit from the companionship of home health aides. Care agencies provide trained individuals who spend time with your loved one. They offer companionship and compassionate care. They also improve safety for adults with dementia.
Many people with dementia also struggle with personal care. Even if they are physically well, they may struggle to remember hygiene. A care provider can help them dress, bathe, eat, and engage in other basic daily care needs.
Skilled Care & Nursing Care
A home health aid from a New York agency can also provide more skilled medical care. Senior care services agencies provide caregivers with different levels of training and certification. These professionals step in when family caregivers cannot provide skilled care.
Most agencies hire and provide certified home health aides. These professionals can provide some basic medical care:
- Manage medications
- Take and record vital signs
- Follow and assess the care plan
- Help with mobility
- Change bandages and dressings
Agencies also provide nurses for more advanced medical care and personalized care. Advanced Home Health Aides in New York are qualified to perform specific tasks under the direction of a registered nurse.
Skilled care from trained aides is especially important for care recipients with dementia. Your loved one can benefit from the specialized skills home health care workers have. This is true even if you and other family members provide most of the care.
Keep Dementia Patients Safe
Safety is always an issue for care recipients with disabilities and chronic health issues. Dementia causes specific safety concerns. For example, dementia patients often get confused or scared. They can be forgetful, leave home, and get lost.
Home care service agencies provide aides trained to keep dementia patients safe. Family caregivers can also improve safety, but they may lack the necessary resources. Trained workers understand people with dementia. They know what their specific safety risks are and how to manage them.
Respite Care For Family Caregivers
Family caregiving is common but can still be stressful. Research shows that caregivers have more mental and physical health problems than non-caregivers. Those without good resources or support or who feel overwhelmed by care demands are at greater risk of health issues.
Dementia caregivers are also at greater risk. They experience more stress, anxiety, and depression than other types of caregivers. They also have worse physical health.
Caregiving stress is bad for caregivers. It’s also bad for care recipients. Home care services agencies provide respite care. Respite care gives family care providers time off.
A break from caregiving duties allows you to engage in self-care. This is good for your own health and the quality of the care you provide to your loved one.
Keep Loved Ones At Home Longer
Most adults with care needs want to stay home as long as possible. Adults who cannot get adequate senior care at home move to assisted living, a nursing home, or a memory care facility.
Families who hope to keep their loved ones at home can delay this transition with senior home care. Agencies provide home health aides and nurses who provide the skilled care dementia patients need. This helps them stay safe at home.
How To Choose A Home Care Agency In New York
A home health care agency makes it easy for families to find trustworthy and trained home care workers. Of course, you have to be able to trust the agency first. Fortunately for New Yorkers, the state Department of Health lists licensed and certified agencies.
The listing page allows you to compare home care agency profiles. The profiles include patient satisfaction ratings for several factors. You can search by provider name, type, or location.
Use this page to learn more about health care agencies in New York and to determine which type is right for your family. Make a list of agencies that meet your criteria. Then, consider important factors as you learn more about them:
- Insurance coverage and additional costs
- Background checks for senior care workers
- References from other families
- Personal rapport with individual home health care aids
You can try more than one home care worker. If you or your loved one don’t feel comfortable with an aide, a good agency should be willing to help you find another. Your loved one’s safety and comfort are the most important factors in choosing in-home care.
Choosing a health care agency to provide care for your loved one is a big decision. Trualta has many more resources to make this step easier. If you reside in New York, you have free access to Trualta. If you live in another state, you can check if you also have free access to Trualta.
References
