The healthcare industry constantly evolves to satisfy patients' preferences. In the recent past, health facilities have incorporated home-based healthcare in their operation, given that most seniors and patients want to spend most of their time at home. They see it as an excellent alternative to in-patient services, as most can be offered at home. Especially for patients with chronic illnesses or senior citizens, home-based healthcare is gaining ground as one of the most preferred forms of patient care.
Deciding on the best form of healthcare focuses on the benefits depending on the patient's needs. The condition and the illness also influence the choice of the health care plan. Luckily, you can get home health services from home-care experts. They have the proper training and expertise to handle all patient's needs. In light of these, the benefits of home-based healthcare are as follows:
1. Personalized Care
To make treatment more effective, offering one-on-one attention to the patient is best. Home-based healthcare ensures the patient receives maximum attention. It may not be the case for facility-based care; the ratio of patients to healthcare providers is sometimes imbalanced. Therefore, the care providers might spend little time with patients, as they must attend to every patient. Such hastiness may compromise the quality of care.
Additionally, with home-based care, the caregivers can apply a specific program to suit the patient's needs. It significantly influences their recovery journey.
2. Comfort And Safety
The environment a patient stays in contributes significantly to the effectiveness of the treatment plan. For instance, occupational therapy requires a significant degree of comfort for the best results. As such, most aging and elderly patients feel more comfortable with home-based health care. The treatment plan allows them to have normalcy in their lives, unlike treatment at a health facility, where they must stop their daily routine and stay at the hospital for several weeks or months. It works best for some illnesses, such as dementia. The patient is surrounded by familiar comforts, such as their neighbors. Thus, surroundings can trigger a memory and aid in remembrance.
On matters of safety, one is always under observation. For patients with mental health and cognitive disorders, self-harm is hardly a worrying factor. Home-based care can also reduce several accidents attributed to poor vision and hearing. Since they understand the home environment better, the risk of surprise falls that could lead to severe injuries is reduced.
3. Companionship
Unlike facility care, home-based care promotes socializing. Patients can get lonely in hospitals because of the time constraints imposed on visiting hours. Distance and transport logistics could limit frequent visits. As such, most of the patients are lonely, which may lead to depression.
However, home care allows friends and family to visit anytime and spend time with the patient without undue restrictions. It helps build companionship and combats loneliness through social interaction. Remember, adults stay healthy with active interactions. When someone visits, they can engage in conversations that keep them entertained. This way, they feel part of society and not left out, isolated, and neglected.
4. Better Assisted Daily Living
Healthcare facilities have schedules and routines that the patients follow once admitted to the hospital wards. It could be tiring and boring for most patients since they're not used to them. However, with home-based care, their routines aren't affected. If anything, the caregivers help them manage their routines better. For instance, they can help them take part in some chores such as preparing tea, making the bed, feeding their pets, and bathing. Patients with physical injuries need to exercise and stretch, hence the need for home-based physical therapy.
Such practices make their daily living better. Home-based healthcare is essential for patients that need one on one support.
5. Relief For Families
If one of the family members gets terminally ill, the responsibility for care and support falls on them. It can significantly affect their life, especially the patients. They have to divide their time between attending work and handling the patients. Given the other responsibilities, offering much-needed support to the patient becomes challenging. Remember, their condition makes it hard to take on the lightest duties, such as cleaning and laundry. By the end of the day, the family members can be exhausted.
However, home-based care relieves the family of these responsibilities. Healthcare providers take on the major tasks. It gives the family members some time off, and they can concentrate on essential aspects of their lives. Therefore, home-based care is a relief for families with patients that require observation and full-time support.
6. Faster Recovery
In hospitals, your loved one can be exposed to infections. In other circumstances, such as post-surgery, a patient requires maximum attention for faster healing. It may not always be possible for a nurse to always be available in the hospital since they must attend to other patients. It could lead to anxiety and stress, which isn't suitable for the patient, given their condition.
However, with home-based care, there's always someone monitoring the patient's progress. They get adequate attention, enough time to rest, and healthy meals that promote a faster recovery. Home-based care is key to the high-quality services needed for the patient's recovery journey.
7. More Convenient Care
Home-based care promotes access to a wide range of services. In a week, you could have access to a speech therapist, exercise coach, nutritionist, behavioral therapist, and physical examination doctor. The versatility makes the care plan more convenient.
In an emergency, the caregivers can take the right cause of action. It reduces the risks associated with having to be taken to the hospital. Since you're under constant supervision, a caregiver can tell if something is wrong before the situation gets out of hand. It's also grounded such that you must complete the routines and physical therapy sessions for a quick recovery. As such, home-based care promotes high-quality services depending on one's needs. There are low chances of neglect since your progress is closely monitored.
8. Cost Efficient
Home care is cost-effective. Besides medication costs, you only incur the fee of paying for the care given. Hospital bills can quickly accumulate to significant figures. The patient has a room, and you can use that as their hospital bed. Remember, some assisted living homes charge by the hour. In that case, you'll only incur the daytime and not the night costs if you're available for the night.
The costs also depend on the kind of care the patient needs. You can expect to pay more for full-time assistance while you pay less for part-time services. As such, home-based care is less expensive because you save on out-of-pocket expenses. Additionally, you can pay for the services using your insurance policy. Thus, purchasing insurance coverage that pays for the services is best if you have a patient requiring home-based care.
9. Proper Medication Management
Another advantage of home-based care is that the patient gets proper medication. Often, when a patient has several conditions, they must take several types of medicine as prescribed by their doctor. It includes the proper dosage and timely intake of the medicine. Someone else is responsible for their medication. Thus, you can rest assured they won't skip the daily dosage. Especially for palliative care 1https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/palliative-care-what-is patients who might need frequent meds to help in relieving pain, proper medication management is critical.
The fact that they'll interact more with the caregivers ensures they have the right medication management. It can help prevent missed dosages, overdoses, and harmful mixing. The treatment plan can also help manage the side effects.
10. Supports Diet And Nutrition
Better nutrition and diet management are key to a quick and faster recovery. Home-based management provides the most appropriate nutrients to the patient. Remember, they have the option of deciding what they eat. The caregivers ensure every meal is balanced and that they eat the right portions. When preparing meals, it's best to include all the nutrients.
It's easy to have organized meals in home-based care. You can hire a nutritionist to plan the meals and devise a daily food time plan. This way, you can prepare in advance and restock your pantry with all the needed ingredients to prepare the meal.
Home-based care is also helpful to people with allergies. Given their numbers, it may not be possible for the facilities to make food for everyone with allergies. Sometimes, patients can be forced to skip a meal. In home-based care, it's different. They can get an alternative to their allergy-causing meal.
11. Promotes Independence
Personal independence is a huge concern for seniors and patients as they consider the proper care. In facilities, it's more about providing the services. In home-based care, patients can be left to do what they can manage, which promotes independence. For instance, patients with bowel conditions in the facility frequently are in adult diapers because of the time it takes to clean their mess. In home-based care, they can be involved in the cleaning process if they mess up to promote independence.
Additionally, they have the chance to take part in preparing meals which is helpful for the development of some skills. Home-based care promotes independence since the patient is engaged in taking care of some chores and responsibilities.
Conclusion
Home-based care is becoming the norm for seniors and patients requiring maximum attention. Given its benefits, it's one of the best care plans. The patient gets assisted depending on their need, facilitating a faster recovery. They also feel safer at home than in the hospital wards. Patients can stay happy, comfortable, and engaged as they undergo treatment. It also reduces the burden of responsibilities to the immediate family members.
Additional resources and citations
- 1https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/palliative-care-what-is
