Companion care is emotional support and companionship for seniors that are generally healthy and who want to remain independent. It may also include a range of services that help make a senior’s life more manageable. These services can include light housekeeping, assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), medication reminders and more. Though companion care focuses on those seniors in their homes, it can be provided to those in nursing homes and assisted senior living facilities. Companion care also falls under the personal care assistants and homemaker services.
What is Companion Care?
The use of companion care changes dependent on the senior and their demands. It’s a service that can be implemented at home, home hospice or at an assisted living situations. Generally speaking, companion care spans both the social and physical care of couple or a senior. Companion care’s Objective as a service would be to:
- Provide psychological support
- Improve the quality of life of the senior
- Provide companionship for the senior
Companion care can also have physical care such as grocery shopping, house cleaning, and chores that support or that maintain the liberty of couple or a senior. Companion care should permit the senior to enjoy life.
Senior companions are people, some of whom are paid and some are volunteers, who provide a needed and constant presence in a senior’s life. The role of a senior companion would be to keep the connection between the senior and the rest of society. They work in such as way as to offer emotional companionship and in some cases, they provide physical care while lifting the burdens that come with getting older, loss of freedom and mental decline. Companions do not need to be certified or medically trained and their role can be as simple as taking a grocery shopping or to some doctor’s appointment. It can also be sitting down with a senior and enjoying conversation.
What are the Advantages of Senior Companionship?
The benefit of senior classmates is that it improves the quality of life of seniors. Companionship goes beyond just caregiving and is a symbiotic relationship that enables the senior to thrive. On a social level having friends and companions enables people to speak about challenges, express grief, and to find resources to solve problems. On a personal level, an excellent companion is someone that the senior not only looks forward to visiting with, doing things with but also is someone on which they can rely. Older people worry about lots of their challenges that for you and I might be quite small like going to the supermarket or transport to and from doctors appointments. Companionship helps to remove the worry and burden that seniors can focus on living a quality life.
The impact of a senior companion for seniors is often a longer and healthier life with enhanced wellbeing. When we are alone, we suffer and are at greater risk of dementia and forgetfulness. There is a lack of ambition and it can be associated with depression and the loss of the will to live. The worst of all criminals are put in isolation. Companionship for the elderly is so important because it’s the fuel that brings meaning back to their own lives and with that comes the willingness to do more.
What Types of Companion Care are There?
- Live-in companion care — Live-in companion care is usually provided by a home care service. It entails 24-hour shifts by one or more individuals. This sort of service is ideal for keeping a senior in their home as long as possible and involves various sorts of services from meal preparation and house cleaning to grooming, bathing, and transportation to appointments.
- In-home companion care — This type of service typically involves shorter visits with specific goals such as meal prep, assistance with bathing, or transport to an appointment or for grocery shopping. There’s also well-person checks that happen when friends, family members, or other members of the community to stop in on a regular basis. Such support can come from a church, neighbors, or from a service that is paid.
- Companion hospice care — Hospice provides companion care through an assortment of means. A hospice has volunteers who stop by to see and to help. A hospice volunteer might run errands for the senior or help them. Hospice also provides Home Health Aids for personal needs and respite visits. Hospice is a dynamic organization and senior companions include social workers, clergy, and nurses.
- Religious-based companion care, which is frequently available through many spiritual groups such as Christian companion care, Catholic companion care, etc.. Begin the search if the senior has been a part of a spiritual community. Familiar faces make great companions. If not, most religious groups are delighted to help and many religious groups are available.
Companion Care Services
At its heart, companion care is just as its name implies–companionship and someone to share experiences and stories with. This personal link can be crucial for seniors who live alone and could be isolated from others.
Seniors who participate in the conversation and play games (bridge, scrabble, etc.) with a companion are maintaining an edge on their mental acuity. Studies show that these kinds of stimulation can help delay the effects of dementia or Alzheimers.
Other services include:
- Medicine reminders
- Assistance with daily routines such as getting out of bed and getting in and out of the car.
- Performing mild housekeeping duties
- Preparing and cooking meals
- Transportation assistance to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments, and errands.
- Help with planning, scheduling and maintaining appointments.
- Encouraging and planning social activities. This can include local sightseeing trips, movies, shopping, visits to family and friends, and anything that keeps the client busy and enjoying life.
- Exercising to keep a healthy body, mind, and spirit. This can include walks in the neighborhood, swimming in the neighborhood pool, and whatever keeps them active.
- Interested in hobbies, games, etc..
- Interacting with household members to keep them abreast of their loved one’s condition.
- Some providers might have dementia care training and experience to help those seniors that are showing signs of the disease.
Choosing Companion Care Services
Consider these concerns, as you start to narrow down your choice of companion care providers.
- Does the agency offer additional services like home health if my loved one’s condition dictates?
- Is the agency recommended by a hospital, social worker, physician or similar professional?
- Does the agency perform background checks on the team?
- Does the employee have professional recommendations they can offer?
- Does the employee have any special certificates or skills (e.g. dementia care, nutrition, etc.)?
- Does the agency provide free in-home security evaluations?
- Can the agency provide 24-hour/7 days a week support?
- How does the agency supervise the caregiver?
- How the agency develops the client’s care plan?
- Is family involved with the maintenance procedure?
- Is the customer involved with their care process and plan?
- When the caregiver is not able to work on a particular day, who is their replacement? How much notice are you given?
- Will the caregiver be the same person every time?
- What is the average time a caregiver stays with the agency?
- What are the payment choices? Is there a payment plan?
- Are there additional charges, deposits, etc. not included in the quoted price?
- Do holidays and weekends cost extra?
Jason is the CEO of Senior Cab- a startup dedicated to solving the Senior Transportation problem. He writes about Senior Living and the challenges that face Seniors living at home or in Assisted Living Facilities. He previously held roles in Sales and Marketing at Microsoft. Follow him on Linkedin
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