What Are ADLs and How Does Home Care Address Them?
Home care can help seniors age in place safely with helps with chores, hygiene, meals, and companionship.
One of the first ways for family caregivers to assess how well seniors are doing as they age in place is to look at something called ADLs, or activities of daily living. Understanding what ADLs are, and how home care services can support seniors with ADLs, allows family caregivers to make better decisions about what their seniors need.
What Are ADLs?
Activities of daily living are the basic tasks a person has to do to take care of themselves every day. They include personal hygiene tasks, changing clothes, eating, toileting, and other related tasks. If seniors are struggling with one or more of these tasks, it might be a good idea to consider enlisting the help of home care providers to offer more assistance.
Personalized Assistance
Professional home care aides can help with all sorts of daily tasks, from getting dressed in the morning to brushing teeth at night. Support is tailored to what seniors actually need help doing.
They can still take care of tasks that are easy for them to manage for as long as they want, which allows them to maintain independence. But when they need help, it’s available.
Increased Safety
Falls and injuries are much more likely to occur when seniors are trying to do tasks that they’re no longer able to manage on their own. Home care providers can assist with mobility, which helps to reduce fall risks and the possibility that seniors will experience other injuries.
Professional caregivers can also help seniors stay aware of possible hazards in their homes while recommending solutions.
Comfort and Routine
Often, seniors opt to age in place because they’re comfortable in their homes and they love the routines that they have built over the years. Many seniors thrive on routines, especially the ones they’ve built themselves.
Home care providers don’t come in and change everything from day one. They learn routines and preferences, then do what they can to support seniors in maintaining those routines.
Dignity and Compassion
Another common worry for aging adults is that they’ll have to face indignity when they receive assistance. But home care providers understand how to support seniors empathetically and while also protecting their dignity. Accepting help doesn’t have to mean that seniors are ashamed or embarrassed about receiving that help.
Respite for Family Caregivers
When family caregivers are stretched too thin, everything suffers. Home care can offer much-needed respite time for family caregivers. They’re better able to take that time away, knowing that the seniors they love are in good hands while they’re gone. Family caregivers can rest and recuperate, gearing up for the next challenge ahead of them.
Understanding activities of daily living and how home care can help seniors to manage them makes accepting assistance that much easier for everyone involved. When these essential tasks are too difficult to manage alone, it’s okay to need a little bit of help along the way. Seniors are safer and more comfortable, which leaves them better able to age in place according to their plans.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in Herndon, VA, please contact the caring staff at Thrive Health Care Services today. (703) 992-0484