October is Long-Term Care Planning Month, and Home Care Services Play a Vital Role

October is recognized as Long-Term Care Planning Month which encourages seniors and their loved ones to evaluate the potential need for home care services now and in the future. There are no guarantees for the future, but it is extremely helpful to everyone involved to have at least an outline of a plan in place. This will minimize the emotional upheaval when the time comes. Long-term care looks beyond the medical interactions with doctors, nurses, and pharmacy teams to the daily living needs associated with different diagnoses. These services are not always covered by typical medical insurance so taking any opportunity to plan ahead also allows seniors and their loved ones time to save for long-term care.

There are three reasons that seniors most commonly need long-term care: post-surgery and rehab, recovery from a fall and planning for fall prevention, and aging. In all cases, it is preferable to remain in the home and plan for continued independence moving forward. This desire can be accomplished with the help of a professional caregiver to handle bathing, dressing, and other personal hygiene needs, incidental transportation to medical appointments, light housekeeping, and meal preparation to allow time for a senior to recover without worrying about these basic needs. If your loved one is recovering from a fall, caregivers are happy to help coordinate care services to risk-proof your home. This could be as simple as securing mats and rugs to prevent slipping or as complicated as installing handrails in the shower or by the toilet. If there is a general decline in physical ability due to aging, services can change from a few hours per week to a few hours per day or even all-day care to allow seniors the dignity of remaining in their own comforting space.

Griswold Home Care of Greater Orlando has been a trusted provider of all these services for over 40 years. As the oldest non-medical home care franchise organization in the country, we pride ourselves on the support system that we have established. While the type of care may change, family members can be comforted knowing that the same great company is a reliable and proven resource of all the in-home aspects of their loved one’s long-term care. If you or a loved one are interested in hearing more about the types of services that Griswold Home Care offers and how we can help plan for long-term care, give us call at (407) 740-7419.