The Types of Care Your Loved One Needs

by Kevin Smith Author

Aging is something the vast majority of us will do, despite our best efforts to stay young. As that happens, we likely will need different levels of care. Those levels of care vary in both intensity and the overall level of care provided. If you are considering moving a loved one into a senior independent living in Johnstown, PA, here is a brief rundown of some of the various types of care your loved one might need and what they mean.

Custodial Care

This type of care helps with daily living tasks, including but not limited to bathing, dressing and eating. This is most typically given to elderly people with dementia or Alzheimer’s. It can be provided at home, in adult daycare or in a residential care environment like a nursing home or assisted living community.

Assisted Living

Facilities that offer this type of care generally are 24-hour operations that also offer meals, social activities, exercise programs and much more. Security in assisted living is less stringent than in other types of care and external access can be but is not always limited.

Home Care

Home care allows the elderly person to remain in their home and receive custodial or unskilled care. A person in-home care might receive help with bathing, dressing, laundry, cooking and travel to and from doctor’s appointments. This is also referred to as “personal care” or “attendant care” and other than the custodial care, it gives the person receiving it broad latitude regarding their daily activities.

Home Healthcare

With home health care, the person receiving it is given a more acute level of care, including medical care. To give home healthcare, the person administering the care has completed medical training. They will check the elderly person’s vitals, respiration and equipment such as oxygen or ventilators. They will also help the elderly person put on braces, artificial limbs and other needed medical equipment.

Palliative Care

When a person receives palliative care, they are relieved of their pain and suffering to the greatest extent possible. Their underlying condition is not treated, unless it can help with the patient’s pain and suffering. In many cases, palliative care is the next to the last step for a patient before they pass.

Hospice Care

Hospice Care is the final form of care given an elderly patient. It includes palliative care and the goal is to help the elderly person prepare for death as well as be as comfortable as possible in the last weeks or months of their lives. When a person is moved into hospice, it is a sure sign that their doctor feels they have very little time left to live.

The different types of elder care help the elderly cope and in some cases, thrive in the various stages of aging. As you look at options for senior independent living in Johnstown, PA, it is important to know the type of care your loved one needs as that will help narrow your options.