For many families, caring for older loved ones has become a major focus during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
With nursing homes and assisted living facilities hit hard by the virus, family members are wondering what the best choice is to keep their loved ones safe. Being able to control the environment that your loved one is in is more important than ever. Doctors are recommending that people who may otherwise have gone to care facilities stay home and use home health care services, if at all possible. Many patients that are having hip and knee replacement surgery done are advised by their doctors to go home instead of going to a rehab facility. Allcare Home Health caregivers are available around the clock to assist your loved ones as they recover from hip or knee replacement surgery, in the comfort and safety of home.
Family healthcare decision-makers have followed the devastating effects the COVID-19 virus has had on long term care facilities. That experience is now pushing them toward home health care, new data suggests. Over 50% of family members are now more likely to choose in-home care for their loved ones than they were prior to the coronavirus, according to a recent survey from health care research and consulting firm Transcend Strategy Group.
“One of the biggest takeaways was that 65% of respondents to the survey agreed that COVID-19 had completely changed their perception about the best way to care for aging seniors,” according to Stan Massey, a partner at Transcend Strategy. “That mind-shift has landed squarely in favor of home-based care providers,” he added. Nearly half of the survey participants said they had previously considered placing a loved on in a long-term care facility in the future but have now taken that option off the table.
Why are nursing homes so vulnerable to COVID-19?
Older people are at a higher risk for COVID-19. So are people with chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and respiratory illness. Both of these groups are heavily represented among the nation’s 1.3 million nursing home residents, and even when precautions are followed to the letter, it is still possible that your loved one could contract this virus in the community.
Allcare Home Health nurses and caregivers receive ongoing updates on CDC guidelines for providing in-home care during the pandemic and are provided with PPE to help protect caregivers as well as patients. Fill out our online contact form or call Allcare Home Health Agency, Inc at (919) 301-0236 and speak with our Client Care Manager today to discuss safe, in-home care options for your loved one and to schedule an assessment by one of our experienced RNs.
Ref: Jewish Times, Home Health Care News, AARP