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Archive for February, 2012

What You Need to Know About Home Care

As an increasing number of seniors choose to remain in their home rather than move into a senior living community, the demand for home care continues to rise. Also called “companion care”, home care consists of non-medical services that allow an individual to receive assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). In contrast, “home health care”, consists of skilled nursing services that are provided in the home by licensed professionals such as nurses, physicians, and therapists.

Defining ADLs and IADLs

Activities of daily living generally include the following:

Bathing
Dressing
Hygiene (brushing hair, brushing teeth, denture care, etc.)
Toileting (including hygiene, use of incontinence products)
Transferring (moving from bed to chair, walker to toilet, etc.)

Instrumental activities of daily living generally include the following:

Light house-cleaning and upkeep
Meal preparation
Medication management
Shopping for groceries or clothes
Using the telephone to schedule appointments, etc.
Managing money (balancing a checkbook, paying bills)

The frequency of services provided varies depending on several factors.