Senior Medical & Non-Medical Home Care

December 24, 2018 • By Sophia Smith
The estimated reading time is 5 minutes

Caring for a senior can be more stressful than a full-time job. Things become complicated when the senior is unable to take care of himself or herself and needs attention 24 by 7. If you are facing a similar problem and you can’t devote all your time to take care of a senior because of work or other commitments, then a suitable option is to seek medical or non-medical care.

When you choose this option, an expert will come to your residence to take care of the senior’s needs and ensure that the senior feels comfortable. Medical home care services are more expensive as compared to non-medical home care services because they need the services of medically trained professionals. In contrast, non-medical home care services are more varied than medical home care because the service provider can specialize in more than one field. For instance, the service provider can buy groceries for a senior and order stuff from Halo Health Care to ensure that a senior never feel deprived of anything he or she needs.

While choosing either of these options, you must know that only some aspects of medical and non-medical home care are usually covered by insurance. So, you might need to pay a huge chunk of the fee from your pocket. You should also know that the cost of live-in home care is usually higher than other options like regular visits by medical care providers.

What are Senior Medical Homecare Services?

Senior medical home care services, as the name suggests are services in which a medical professional or even more than one medical professional attend to the medical needs of the senior so that he or she can remain fit. For instance, if a senior needs to undergo dialysis regularly, the medical professionals will visit your home to do the procedure many times a month.

This service is usually needed by seniors who are very sick or who are incapable of meeting their medical needs on their own or don’t have a medical professional living in the neighborhood. The medical professionals who provide this service are usually registered nurses or other skilled and trained professionals who know their job and can do it impeccably. This care option is best for seniors who are very sick, need constant attention and still don’t want to get admitted to a nursing home or a hospital.

Apart from offering medical care, the caregivers can also provide other services like cleaning, transportation or meal preparation. They might also educate seniors on how to remain healthy by offering kitchen safety tips for seniors.

What are Senior Non-Medical Homecare Services?

Again, the name of this service is enough to explain it all. Non-medical home care services are services provided by people who don’t have a medical background or degree. They provide only basic services like transportation, cleaning, cooking, etc. The kind of service you need can be personalized extensively by you or the caregiver according to your needs. Apart from offering varied services, non-medical homecare service providers also provide companionship to the seniors which is a gift for seniors who often feel lonely, sad or depressed.

If you are not sure what kind of services you or a senior needs to ask for from a non-medical homecare service provider, it is suggested that the senior undergo an assessment. During the assessment, the service provider will observe the lifestyle of the senior for a while and suggest which services would be needed by the senior to live a comfortable and hassle-free life. It is also smart to get every service you are expecting written down and agreed upon before hiring someone to provide non-medical homecare services to avoid any confusions or controversies later on.

How to Choose the Right Senior Medical & Non-Medical Home Care Service Provider?

When choosing a medical or non-medical home care service provider for a senior, you can’t just call up the first name you see online and hire them. You must do some research to ensure that you are hiring the right service provider and take the following steps to ensure that you hire the right person/people.

  • The service provider you choose must have a good reputation. This can be checked by reading previous reviews and customer testimonials.
  • The service provider must also have a reputation for providing quality services and give you value for money services.
  • It would also be good if the company conducts a free or less costly in-home assessment of a seniors’ needs before assigning the care job to a staff member.
  • Lastly, the service provider must keep the senior’s interest above everything else and make the senior as happy and comfortable as possible.

Doing a bit of research is vital because starting a senior care business is easy but managing it while maintaining the quality of services can be a bit complicated.  

Sophia Smith

She is a renowned nutritionist and freelance writer whose topics of interest include healthy living and healthy eating. She is passionate about introducing new and delicious healthy meals while balancing her time between cooking and going to the gym. Her mission is to change the life of as many people as she can and make them the best version of themselves.
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