How Caregivers Make a Difference

A caregiver is an individual who dedicates their time and energy to helping their loved one, client, or person they are assisting during a challenging time in that person’s life. Caregivers usually spend their days ensuring the person they care for is comfortable, safe, healthy, and happy. Time spent with their clients can vary from seven days to a few times a week — depending on the client’s needs.  

A person might need a caregiver for a variety of reasons, including managing an ongoing health condition, being discharged from the hospital after a surgery, balancing health needs when aging, having an ailment that prevents them from taking care of themselves, or needing social interaction. Overall, a caregiver comes into their clients’ lives and seeks to improve their quality of life.

How do Caregivers Make a Difference?

Caregivers are perhaps some of the world’s most selfless and charitable people because their sole mission is to help others. Caregiver support, whether it’s from 24 Hour Home Care or another in-home care agency, enables clients to thrive in the comfort of their own homes – ensuring they can live at home, or age in place, as long as they want.  Having a regular caregiver allows the individual who is receiving care to have a quality of life that they wouldn’t be able to have without the help of a professional — caregivers positively impact the health and well-being of those they serve.

There are several ways caregivers provide vital support and make a difference in the lives of those they care for: 

• Medication reminders and management can be important for a client’s everyday health and ensures any health conditions or injuries they have are taken care of properly. Additionally, a caregiver can monitor a client to see if they have any negative or adverse reactions to their medication. Families are encouraged to share the client’s medical history with their caregiver. 24 Hour Home Care builds this into the family onboarding process so caregivers can review this information prior to the start of their shift. A focus area for caregivers is making sure clients feel their best by keeping them on their proper medication schedule. Caregivers can also assist with medications by ensuring prescriptions are not lethally or dangerously mixed.
• Personal care services allow the individual being served to look and feel their best through assistance with personal hygiene. When physical self-care becomes difficult to keep up with for your loved one, a caregiver can step in to help with bathing, dressing, using the restroom, skin care, hair maintenance, oral hygiene, and more. As people age or battle health conditions, they may be unable to care for themselves and keep up with their personal hygiene routine. Basic body care is essential to a client’s health and should not be ignored or neglected. Overlooking basic hygiene can cause health issues and problems for your loved one. Caregivers are here to help mitigate any negative impacts from poor hygiene. Self-care has many physical benefits, but it can also help your loved one mentally by lifting their spirits. When someone is clean and looks good, they feel good, which can improve their quality of life and their mood.
• Companionship services allow caregivers and their clients to bond with each other, forming vital social connections that some clients might not otherwise have due to being homebound, or not having family members close by. As individuals age, they may start to experience the loss of their friends, their driver’s licenses, or their ability to have access to social settings. Loneliness and depression are serious concerns for families and clients because they can manifest into larger health issues. Caregivers can provide engaging conversation, play games, or lead other activities with their client to engage them socially and keep their mind sharp.
• Light housekeeping is another way caregivers can make a difference in their clients’ lives. When dishes, laundry, and dirt start piling up because a client can no longer accomplish these chores on their own, a caregiver can step up to ensure the household is kept in good order. Light housekeeping tasks include maintaining a sanitary and functional home environment, organizing clutter, taking out the trash, doing laundry, cleaning dishes, and more. This type of assistance can give families peace of mind that their loved one is living in a clean and safe home.
• Respite care can also assist families by giving the primary caregiver a break. This temporary sense of relief can strengthen family relationships and ensure everyone gets the rest they need after devoting so much time to caring for their loved one. Everyone deserves time off, and professional caregivers are here to cover care so that the client’s family members can practice self-care for themselves — whether that means napping, running errands, taking an exercise class, or doing anything else they enjoy.
• Meal preparation is another valuable way caregivers can help their clients in their daily lives. As individuals age, everyday activities and tasks like cooking and meal preparation can become increasingly difficult and may soon be almost impossible to complete. Eating healthy foods and being mindful of nutrition requirements are important and can even improve a client’s quality of life — especially if they are battling compromising health conditions. Caregivers can prepare and serve healthy meals and snacks to optimize clients’ nutrition intake and ensure they aren’t skipping meals.

One of the biggest ways caregivers make a difference in the lives of those they serve is by providing families peace of mind that their loved one is in good hands. Caregivers can help the client’s entire family and extended support system by taking the time to care for an individual who needs a little extra help. Both the client and their family increase their quality of life with help from a professional caregiver. Though a caregiver may be hired to help the client, their support is often essential for families during what is usually considered a chaotic and stressful time in their lives.

To learn more about 24 Hour Home Care’s caregiving services, please fill out the form here.