Home Care Assistance For Elderly Temple Texas Residents Can Mean Continued Independence

By Barbara Davis


As the average age of the population rises more and more older people require some form of help to cope from one day to the next. The pressure on official resources meant for the elderly are also increasing and an increasing number of people are forced to cater for their own needs for help by hiring full time or part time caregivers. Home care assistance for elderly Temple Texas older people is often the only solution.

Most people do not want to dwell on the possibility that they can become frail, weak and ill to the extent where they cannot survive without help. The very idea of being forced to depend upon a stranger to provide help is humiliating and even scary. This is even more so the case if the help required include very private services such as washing oneself, dressing and getting in and out of bed.

A lot of people think that it is the responsibility of their families to look after them when they become infirm. The fact is, however, that few modern families have the time, skill or even the will to take on such a responsibility. They do not want disruptions to their routines and therefore often forcefully persuade relatives to agree to a move to an institution.

More than 80 per cent of people older than 60 will, at some time, require help. In some cases this may only be on a temporary basis, while recovering from an illness or injury, for example. In many cases, however, the help will be needed for the rest of the life of the patient. The bad news is that medical insurance does not cover the cost of long term personal care.

Sadly, medical insurance will only cover the cost of temporary help by a caregiver. There are, however, specially designed insurance schemes that specifically cater for the cost of long term live in caregivers. Such insurance should be considered by every citizen. The cost of the policy is really not comparable with the inconvenience and lack of privacy inherent to living in an institution.

Experts in the field of elderly care all agree that, if it is possible, an infirm older person be allowed to stay in his own house for as long as it is possible. A live in caregiver can take responsibility for those tasks that the older person can no longer manage, but this does not mean that the patient loses control over his own routine or that he is no longer able to make decisions.

The appointment of a caregiver should be undertaken with great circumspect. It is vital to insist upon valid references and to follow them up. The caregiver should be experienced in looking after patients with needs similar to the loved one in question. The exact duties of the caregiver should be detailed in a written contract and it may be wise to insist upon a trial period.

It has been proven that older people living in institutions are often desperately lonely, dissatisfied with life and often depressed. Families with older relatives that need personal help should do everything they can to keep the relative ensconced in their own homes. They are happier and they can often continue to lead full and independent lives.




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