Elder care is a service for older adults who want to stay in their current home. Instead of moving to an assisted living community, they stay in their home with the support of their friends, family, and elder care aides. Here are seven things you need to know about elder care services.

Elder Care Aides Can Shop and Run Errands

Your dad needs help running errands and shopping for groceries and household needs. His caregiver can help him. If he’d rather have a caregiver help him place an online order and pick it up for him or set up delivery, that’s an option.

Elder Care Aides Do the Housework and Laundry

His caregivers can change his sheets, make his bed, swap towels for fresh ones, and gather dirty clothes. Everything goes to the laundry room where the caregiver washes and dries the items, ironing anything that needs ironing, before putting things where they go.

Caregivers can also run a vacuum, sweep floors, wash dishes, dust, take out the trash and recycling, and tidy up. If he has a dishwasher, his caregiver can run the dishes through the appropriate cycle and put things away. Counters get wiped down, and the sink is rinsed out and sanitized.

Elder Care Aides Help With Grooming and Hygiene

If your dad has a hard time with grooming and hygiene tasks like oral care, shaving, showers, dressing, and nail care, a caregiver can help. He has someone to support him when he steps in and out of the shower and gets dressed.

Caregivers can help your dad brush and floss his teeth, trim his nails, and apply moisturizers. They can brush or comb your dad’s hair and trim his eyebrows, too.

Elder Care Aides Assist on Appointment Days

When your dad has a doctor’s check-up, his caregiver can remind him when it’s time to get ready to leave. His caregiver can drive him to the medical practice, wait for him to see his doctor, and drive him back home. If he has new prescriptions to pick up, his caregiver can stop along the way.

Elder Care Aides Cook Meals and Prepare Snacks

Your dad may not eat a home-cooked meal when he’s on his own. He prefers to heat a frozen pizza or microwave a can of soup. An elder care provider can prepare meals for him. If he tells his caregiver he loves sauteed salmon, barley pilaf, and roasted broccoli, his caregiver can make it for him.

His caregiver will create a weekly menu with him, help him see what he needs for groceries, and put in a grocery order for your dad. He always has a home-cooked meal.

Elder Care Aides Provide Companionship

When your dad lives alone, he may get lonely. A caregiver provides the companionship your dad needs for his mental and physical health. Studies show that lack of socialization increases inflammatory diseases like diabetes and also increases the risk of depression and anxiety.

With companion care aides stopping by to keep your dad company, he’s going to remain social and active. It’s better for his health.

Elder Care Aides Remind Your Dad How to Take Care of His Health

When your dad has a chronic condition, he may struggle to do everything his doctor tells him to do. He forgets to take his pills each morning before he has breakfast. When he takes them, it’s on a full stomach, which impacts how quickly the medication is released into his bloodstream.

Caregivers can remind your dad when he needs to take a pill, check his blood sugar levels, or do his exercises. They cannot administer them for him, but he will have someone there to make sure he does what his doctor says.

Elder care services can make it easy to agree to your dad’s desire to age at home. When he’s unable to take care of everything he needs to do on his own, a caregiver can help him. Talk to an advisor about elder care services and how to get started.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Chevy Chase, MD, please contact the caring staff at Care At Home today. 301-970-9706

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Ann Smith RN

Owner at Care at Home

Ann Smith, RN, Realtor® Your local Home care and Home transition expert Ann is a Registered Nurse and a Realtor with a passion and dedication to serving her community. She has over twenty years of nursing experience in pediatric, geriatric, home health care, and care management. She founded Care at Home, a home care company, to provide seniors with services that promote independence and safe aging in place. Ann is dedicated to helping seniors achieve stress-free retirement living by providing comprehensive services from health to home. Ann's mother instilled in her the value of hard work, dedication, and service to others at a young age, which is now a driving force in her home care agency. Her caring and compassionate work with seniors began when she was just 17 years old. She was offered a job as a caregiver. Just as quickly, she instinctively knew that this would be her life's work. She soon became a nurse and has since helped many older adults transition seamlessly into a new phase of life. While helping seniors and individuals with their home care needs, it became apparent that part of the transition process often involved selling their current home for more suitable living arrangements. That's when Ann decided to add real estate services to alleviate stress and enhance her client's experience. It's also how she became known as the Home Transition Agent. Today, Ann helps her mature clients achieve stress-free retirement living by providing in-home care and comprehensive services from health to home. Ann's love for children and dedication to helping families caring for children with chronic health conditions inspired Pediatric Care at Home, a division of Care at Home that provides pediatric nursing care. Ann and her team are dedicated to providing compassionate care to all, from infants to older adults. When Ann isn't busy helping her patients and clients, she volunteers her time at women's shelters and fostering dogs. She and her veteran husband enjoy a simple life in the countryside, where farm animals and country life surround them. Ann also enjoys reading, photography, gardening, and nature walk with their dogs.

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