The Benefits of Family Visits for Seniors Receiving Home Care Services

When it comes to promoting better mental and physical health in seniors, staying socially active plays a crucial role. In-person companionship, in particular, is a powerful tool for staying socially active, and it’s something Foothills Home Services is familiar with. Foothills Home Services provides live-in caregivers as well as casual home care alongside senior companionship. We offer high-quality, innovative, affordable home care in Calgary and the surrounding areas, including palliative care, assistance at home, and more. 

We deliver our senior home care services while providing companionship for seniors so that your loved one can receive the support they need to live comfortably and happily in their own home while also enjoying friendship and rapport with their caregiver. For seniors receiving elderly personal care and senior support services, palliative care, and other types of home care assistance in Calgary, family visits are a major source of companionship and can have far-reaching positive effects. 

Benefits of family visits for seniors receiving private home care

When family members visit, it can play a beneficial role in the lives of seniors receiving home care services. Here are four benefits family visits can provide for seniors receiving home care services.

Improve the emotional health of the senior receiving private home care

Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation. This is because they are more likely to face factors like chronic illness, living alone, and the loss of family or friends. Companionship, whether it’s provided by friends, family, or caregivers, can impact emotional well-being, cognitive function, and overall life satisfaction for the elderly. Senior companionship provided by professional caregivers can help mitigate the risk of seniors experiencing loneliness. Visits from family members offer additional opportunities for seniors to socialize and be emotionally engaged, which can improve their mood and overall well-being.

Evaluate the senior’s in-home care needs

By visiting your senior loved one who’s receiving home care assistance, you can hear how they are doing and get the chance to discuss their eating habits, mobility issues, medications, and more. You’ll also get to see how they are faring for yourself. This will help you be even more confident that the home care your senior loved one is receiving is meeting their needs, which will give you additional peace of mind. Rest assured that at Foothills Home Services, we’ll regularly evaluate your senior loved one’s situation and our services to ensure that their care needs are being met.

Ease the adjustment to private home care for seniors

Home care services allow your senior loved one to stay at home, which is a familiar and comfortable environment for them. The introduction of a new person - a senior’s caregiver - into their home and daily routine can lead to some adjustments. Their schedules for meals, exercise, etc., may change, and they’ll, of course, be interacting with a new person. All these changes are focused on improving your senior loved one’s quality of life. With our professional home care services, your senior loved one will be well taken care of. 

As senior home care providers, we want to make sure the transition to in-home care is as smooth as possible. One of the ways Foothills Home Services helps smooth the transition to in-home care in the Foothills is by carefully matching your senior with a caregiver who has experience with their specific health care needs, in addition to being similar in personality and interests. The caregiver then spends time getting familiar with your loved one and their routine and preferences. Family visits can help a senior who has recently begun receiving care adjust to these changes even better by providing additional emotional support and a sense of familiarity during this transitional period.

Maintain relationships, provide mental stimulation, and more!

During family visits, seniors and their relatives have the chance to build stronger relationships, reminisce, and create new memories. Family members can take part in activities like playing board games and solving puzzles, so these visits can also help keep your senior loved one’s mind active and stimulated. In fact, playing certain games can help stimulate older people’s brains to improve mental health and memory skills. Seeing familiar faces and sharing stories from the past can contribute to a senior’s sense of self and help anchor your senior loved one's identity amidst the challenges presented by aging. By reminiscing and storytelling, families can play a helpful role in preserving their loved one's memories and overall sense of self-worth.

Tips for visiting loved ones getting home care assistance

It can be challenging to find the time to visit family members, especially when you have a lot on your plate between work and family obligations. This can be further complicated by your senior loved one living far away. Regular visits are important, but it’s important to put greater emphasis on the quality of the visits rather than the quantity of visits. When you spend time with your senior loved one, focus on engaging with them to make the time count. 

Thoughtfully preparing for visits can enhance the quality and impact of these visits. Some ways you can prepare include planning activities based on your senior loved one’s interests. For example, will you sit down for a home-cooked meal, use the time to go through photos, or spend some time gardening?

It’s also worth noting that making use of technology can help you and your loved one stay connected between visits. Use phone calls, video chat, and social media to stay in touch. You can also use technology to schedule these visits well in advance. This way, your senior loved one will have your upcoming visits to look forward to.

How Foothills Home Services can help prepare for family visits

Seeing family and friends can be the highlight of anyone’s week! Foothills Home Services home care aids can help with the tasks needed to prepare for these special occasions, such as grocery shopping, meal planning, meal preparation, and cleaning. If you need support or advice on how to make the most of your interactions with your senior loved one, we can help with that, too. Contact us to have a discussion about your senior loved one’s home care needs and how Foothills Home Services can provide the support you and the senior in your life need.