Did you know home care support helps you stay at home longer?

Home care support enables you to stay at home longer. Research now prove that the more hours accessed of home care, the less likely you are to enter into residential care.

Macquarie University conducted a study involving more than 1,000 older people accessing home care packages between 2015-2016 and released the results only recently.

Every home care hour used means a 6% lower risk in entering residential aged care

The study discovered that there is a link between accessing home care hours, social support and delaying entry into aged residential care. St Louis Home Care is aware of our clients’ social support needs and the impact this has on their health and wellbeing. We always encourage our clients to include social services in their home care plan.

At St Louis we have found the clients who accessed social support have found renewed interest in their hobbies and the outings they used to enjoy, revisited places they spent during childhood, gone to the movies or taken the opportunity to make new friends. Sometimes we find home care clients reluctant to join the social programs but once they have been out for the day they see the benefits themselves and continue to be involved.

The more home care support you use, the more you increase your chances of staying at home for longer or for the rest of your life.

Why use home care?

  1. Staying at home is often the preferred option as you get older living in the comfort of your own home the place you love – your home is your sanctuary and friends and family come and visit as they wish. Its full of memories and where you want to live and maintain your independence.
  2. You stay connected to your local community – social inclusion is important at any age and being able to stay engaged with your local community is key to your ongoing wellbeing
  3. You feel safer and more supported - you know you have 24x7 support only a phone call away so even if you live alone, you feel better knowing support is close by
  4. You have help doing house chores – a clean and tidy home is good for your mental wellbeing
  5. You get help with cooking meals – maintaining good nutrition will maintain your health
  6. Your pets get some help – pets are known to have wonderful beneficial effects on our wellbeing so having them close and well cared for makes us happier
  7. You enjoy more of the things you love to do – home care helps you create a balance of activities, so that you can get all your weekly chores done and allow space and time for hobbies and other enjoyable social interactions
  8. You can attend family and social events you may have missed without the help to get out and active. With the help of a Home Care social support services and Home Care worker it enables you to attend family birthdays and weddings without relying on your family.

What do home care packages provide?

Home care support is consumer directed care (CDC) and there are a wide variety of services you can access. To maximise the benefits of your home care plan, getting help from a Home Care Coordinator can be extremely beneficial.

They will help you make effective use of your budget to meet your lifestyle goals and optimise outcomes to enable you to live at home for longer. Community care services can improve quality of life and social participation. Your home care plan is flexible and adaptable and can change to meet your needs and daily routine.

In our blog What You Use Now You Gain Later, we talk about the importance of taking advantage of your home care package as much as possible so that it supports you in the best possible way. The more you use the better it is for you.

  • Home domestic support (cleaning, laundry, gardening)
  • Transport to appointments
  • Personal care and grooming 
  • Social Support
  • Attend family occasions and Social Events
  • Help with shopping
  • Meal preparation
  • Medical support and wound management
  • Pet care
  • Respite – including overnight stays
  • Short term rehabilitation and support
  • Hospital to home support
  • Medical aids and equipment

Home care has come a long way to helping elderly Australians age with grace and dignity in the comfort of their own homes in their own community. Having older people live and remain social in their community is extremely beneficial to all of us.

Looking to live at home for longer? Please call the St Louis Home Care team in Adelaide on (08) 8332 0950 or our Victor Harbor Home Care Team on (08) 08 8552 1481, to discuss how we can help you with a Home Care Package or Private Home Care Services.

Want to learn more?

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