Home Care 101: Types of Home Care Services

1. Companion Care

Companions may be hired to work in a variety of settings, including the client's own home, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospitals.

Their duties range from:

• Medication reminders
• Shopping
• Cooking
• Transport
• Light cleaning
• Companionship
• Socialisation

2. Personal Care

The occupation of attending to the physical needs of people who are aged, disabled or otherwise unable to take care of themselves, including tasks such as bathing, management of bodily functions, as well as cooking, are referred to collectively as the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

In most cases clients require assistance with ADLs. This is a term used in healthcare to refer to daily self-care activities within an individual's place of residence, in outdoor environments, or both. Health professionals routinely refer to the ability or inability to perform ADLs as a measurement of the functional status of a person, particularly in regard to people with disabilities and the elderly.

ADLs at Right at Home

Basic ADLs (BADLs) consist of self-care tasks, including:

• Bathing and showering
• Dressing
• Meal preparation, assistance with dietary planning and feeding
• Self-feeding (not including chewing or swallowing)
• Functional mobility (moving from one place to another while performing activities)
• Personal hygiene and grooming (including brushing/combing/styling hair)
• Toilet hygiene (completing their toileting properly)

Instrumental ADLs (IADLs) are not necessary for fundamental functioning, but they let an individual live independently in a community:

• Housework
• Taking medications as prescribed
• Shopping for groceries or clothing
• Use of telephone or other form of communication
• Using technology (as applicable)
• Transportation within the community

3. Skilled Nursing Care

Skilled nursing is a term that refers to a client's need of care or treatment that can only be done by licensed (Registered or Enrolled) nurses. Examples of skilled nursing needs include complex wound dressings, rehabilitation and IV therapy. Skilled nursing extends to transitional care (people recovering at home from surgery), hospital in the home and palliative care.

4. In-Home Monitoring, Communication & Socialisation Technology

We provide a technology system to promote socialisation, proactive health and monitoring. The technology is designed to support people living at home whether they are aged, disabled or recovering from surgery. Support can be provided directly to clients and their families, or through a health provider such as your doctor. Simple recordings such as temperature, blood glucose, heart rate, blood pressure and weight, when graphed over time and viewed in conjunction with other information such as current medications, can help GPs, hospital physicians and carers to more rapidly identify and manage significant changes in clinical status. Improved quality, timeliness and appropriateness of clinical care will reduce the number of readmissions to hospital.

Where we Care

Right at Home provides care to your loved one in their home and when they move out of their home.

Our caregivers routinely work with managing and supervising staff in a variety of settings:

• Assisted Living Facilities
• Continuing Care Retirement Facilities
• Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Nursing Homes
• Rehabilitation Centres
• Hospitals (sitter services in addition to other care)
• Discharge services

In the majority of cases, the initial enquiry regarding in-home care comes from a family member rather than the person themselves. Older Australians are proud and self-reliant. Asking for help is something that they do not take lightly. They don't want to be a burden, or to put someone out. Most often the decision to seek out a care provider is driven by an event such as a fall, sudden illness, an adverse diagnosis, or the simple realisation by the family that a loved one needs help or that family members need respite from acting as a primary carer.

For support and peace of mind and to find out more give us a call on 1300 362 609.