Due to lack of income and old age, the elderly become very dependent on others, especially their children, to do their work. This dependence is caused by financial issues, physical and mental problems. Some elderly people become aggressive when they realize that their children are planning to hire an elderly nurse for them due to their great concern. Elderly people do not like to lose their children’s attention in the presence of an elderly nurse, and on the other hand, the feeling of is fatal for them. What is the solution? How to prepare the elderly to accept a caregiver? What are benefits of in-home care for elderly? What are the features of companion care for elderly living alone?
How to help elderly people who live alone? By hiring a companion for the elderly, you can relieve them of loneliness and ensure the health of the elderly throughout the day or night. Join us in this article from the Human Health Mag website to examine these issues.
Who Is the Elderly Companion?
One of the important needs of the elderly is to have a companion. Companion care for elderly living alone refers to a person who emotionally, mentally and sometimes physically helps the elderly to spend their old age more peacefully and happily. The elderly companion provides services such as talking, doing household chores, caring for and accompanying the elderly.
A companion for the elderly is a person who, like a friend, stays with the elderly at home so that the elderly is not alone and has someone to talk to at home. These people can stay with the elderly daily (8 to 12 hours a day) or around the clock (24 hours). In addition, the companion knows how to care seniors at home. He/she provides services such as caring for the elderly, preparing home safety for elderly, food, and cleaning the house, while preventing home accidents for the elderly and monitoring the health of them.
A companion for the elderly usually does not have a university degree in nursing and has learned methods of caring for the elderly through experience. However, a companion with experience can take good care of the elderly and take the necessary measures in special situations by having a home safety checklist for seniors living alone. These people can take the elderly’s blood pressure, test the elderly’s blood sugar, help the elderly walk and move, and accompany them outside the home if needed.
Why Should I Hire a Companion Care for Elderly Living Alone?
Isolation and loneliness are a major threat to the physical and mental health of the elderly. An isolated elderly person is not only angry and irritable, but also prone to serious physical illnesses and depression. In fact, living in isolation is as harmful as obesity or as dangerous as harms of smoking in the elderly, and for the seniors, these risks will be multiplied. To avoid these problems, the best option is to hire a healthy companion for the elderly. In fact, according to various statistics:
“Depression in the elderly is a serious problem that is also growing with the passage of time and economic changes in the world. Today, most elderly people live alone at home and due to economic conditions, children do not have time to take care of their parents. These factors have caused the elderly’s physical health to be compromised and their quality of life to decrease.”
Why seniors living alone need companion care at home? Elderly people who are alone and have problems are most at risk of depression or injuries. These people do not reveal their problems or depression due to pride or feeling overwhelmed and bothered by their family. For this reason, depression in people over 65 has become a silent epidemic.
In addition, the likelihood of falling due to old age is high in the elderly, and the presence of an elderly companion can prevent this serious risk and help elderly people walk, sit, get up, or when bathing and bathing. Caring and paying attention to the elderly by family members or hiring an elderly companion is the best way to meet the emotional, psychological needs and maintain the physical health of the elderly.
Characteristics of Companion Care for Elderly Living Alone
A healthy elderly companion at home is a person who is with the elderly full-time and, in addition to performing daily tasks, is a companion for the elderly. Some families are looking for a healthy elderly companion just to relieve the loneliness of their elderly who does not have any disease, and others need the help of a companion and another person to perform daily tasks and physical and mental care.
Companion care for elderly living alone must have characteristics in order to be able to serve your elderly well. Some of these characteristics of an elderly companion are:
- Organized
- Responsible and committed
- Compassionate and kind
- Patient
- Humorous
- Reliable
- Having high communication skills
- Having appropriate social behavior
- Completing tasks on time
Some say, “Just hire an elderly woman to take care of the elderly.” However, hiring an elderly woman cannot be your only criterion for finding a suitable companion. While age is an indicator of a person’s experience, you should also be aware of the above characteristics.
The Benefits of Companion Care for Seniors Living Alone at Home
One of the most important benefits of hiring a companion is companionship with the elderly. The presence of a healthy elderly companion at home has a positive effect on the elderly person’s mood because it reduces stress and discomfort in him/her. A companion improves the quality of life of the elderly. In fact, a companion is a role that goes beyond caregiving and is a symbiotic relationship that enables the elderly to flourish. On a social level, having friends and companions allows the elderly person to talk about their challenges, express their sadness and find solutions to problems.
On a personal level, a good companion is someone the elderly person not only looks forward to meeting, but also someone they can rely on. Elderly people worry about many challenges that may seem very small to us. For example, shopping for groceries or going to the doctor can be challenging for the elderly. In these situations, the companion helps the elderly and is with him to reduce the worries and challenges of these tasks and your elderly loved one has a long, healthy and prosperous life. The round-the-clock companion care for elderly living alone makes them happy with games and fun.
loneliness in the Elderly: The silent killer
The elderly suffer from loneliness and are more at risk of dementia and forgetfulness. On the other hand, they may become depressed and lose hope in life, companionship with the elderly helps to increase the quality of life of the elderly and their life expectancy.
Loneliness in elderly is one of the most important causes of mental and physical illnesses in them and one of the effective factors in the death of the elderly. Loneliness increases the risk of depression in the elderly. Mobility in lonely elderly people is less and unhealthy food consumption is higher. Almost one in ten seniors are extremely lonely and suffer from this problem. Seniors are confined to their homes and therefore do not get enough physical activity. Other effects of loneliness on seniors include the following:
- Loneliness is one of the most important causes of Alzheimer’s disease in seniors
- Seniors are more likely to suffer from depression due to poor social connections
- Loneliness severely affects the immune system and cardiovascular health of seniors
Difference Between an Elderly Companion and a Nurse?
The main difference between geriatric companion and geriatric nurse is the level of responsibilities and expertise related to elderly care. Elderly companion is usually sent to healthy elderly people. These people focus on ensuring their emotional and spiritual well-being, and they also pay attention to the health of the elderly so that, God forbid, something happens to the elderly.
A nurse is more for those who need medical care, changing catheters, injections, providing medication, or changing diapers. So, a companion focuses more on companionship and social interaction with the elderly, while a nurse also provides specialized medical and health care. Therefore, the presence of a nurse is essential when the elderly need special medical care.
Duties of a In-Home Companion for Elderly Living Alone
What does a loneliness companion do? A companion for the healthy elderly, as the name suggests, is responsible for accompanying and talking to the elderly, which can be very important for elderly people who live alone and may have recently lost their spouse. Elderly people who talk to a companion maintain their mental alertness. Studies show that talking can help delay the effects of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Other duties of a companion for the elderly at home include:
- Reminding them of medications
- Helping with daily tasks such as getting out of bed and getting in and out of the car.
- Performing light household tasks
- Preparing and cooking meals
- Helping with grocery shopping, doctor visits, and personal tasks
- Encouraging and planning social activities. This can include local sightseeing trips, movies, shopping, visiting family and friends, and anything that keeps the senior entertained and makes them enjoy life
- Encouraging exercise to maintain the health of the body, mind and spirit. Exercise can include walking around the neighborhood, swimming, and anything else that keeps them active
- Interacting with family members to keep them informed of their loved one’s condition
- Some providers may have skills and experience in caring for seniors with symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia
How to Find the Proper Companion Care for Elderly Living Alone?
Since an elderly companion is someone who spends many hours of the day with your elderly, he or she must be a reliable, trustworthy, and healthy person. Therefore, when hiring an elderly companion, you must pass the desired person through many filters so that you can leave your loved one alone at home with him or her with a relaxed mind.
Any negligence in the hiring of companion care for elderly living alone can jeopardize the health and safety of your loved one; therefore, we recommend that you refer to centers and platforms that are designed and established with the aim of providing home nursing services.
After hiring a companion, sometimes the elderly person insists that the nurse is nice to him/her in front of his/her children. The elderly person says that when they are alone, the nurse leaves him/her alone and goes to his/her room! The elderly person remains alone and is not satisfied with living with the nurse. Be sensitive to these issues.
Some nursing institutions send workers without a license in this way: a young woman who may be a student and does not have the conditions to get a dormitory and does not have much support to rent a house is hired as a nurse for the elderly. Some centers do not even see the workers and send them to work without selecting and confirming their moral qualifications and obtaining the necessary guarantees.
They send them to work without understanding what the purpose of the force is to take care. The big age difference between the elderly and his companion and the nurse’s lack of interest in her work are the reasons for this incident. In these circumstances, the elderly feel more lonely and assume that they are a child who is being fooled, and they become more depressed and upset.
Preparing the Elderly to Receive a Companion
Explain to the elderly what your intention is in hiring a companion at home? They must understand that you cannot be with them all the time. Your parents understand that you worry about them being left alone for a moment. Explain that the best way to hire a female or male companion is to minimize their harm.
When hiring a companion care for elderly living alone, give them the right to choose. The elderly should choose the right companion themselves. It is in this situation that he/she knows that you did not treat him like a child. Note that if the elderly do not communicate with the companion at first glance, they will have problems in subsequent admissions. When hiring a companion, pay attention to the following points:
- The elderly should not feel that they are considered disabled by hiring a companion
- Explain that the companion is hired so that they are not alone and that they can do things together
- An elderly person who can do their own things should not regress with the presence of a companion at home
Concluding Remarks
Loneliness in today’s society has become a serious epidemic for the elderly, which unfortunately affects many of them. Society and conditions have become such that it is almost impossible for the family to take care of the elderly at home, but don’t worry, because the companion or conversation partner of the elderly can be the conversation partner of the elderly throughout the day, do all the daily tasks for the elderly, and take care of them so that the elderly can enjoy a good situation.
Choosing the proper companion care for elderly living alone is one of the key points that should be given special attention. A companion who can communicate well with the elderly and understand their needs correctly can have very positive effects on the physical and mental health of the elderly.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have tried to answer all your questions about companion care for elderly living alone and how to hire a companion for the elderly. If you have any other questions, you can ask us in the comments section so that we can answer you as soon as possible.
What are the duties of a healthy elderly companion?
Helping with daily tasks, paying attention to the correct use of medications, performing light household tasks, and preparing and cooking food are some of the duties of a healthy elderly companion.
Can a companion be hired for a sick elderly person?
To take care of a sick elderly person, it is recommended to hire a nurse for the elderly; because the companion for the elderly is sent to take care of the healthy elderly person.
Is it cost-effective to hire a companion for the healthy elderly?
Because a healthy elderly companion has lighter duties than a nurse at home, it also has a lower cost and price; if your elderly person is physically healthy, hiring a companion for the elderly is more cost-effective.
When do we need a companion care for elderly living alone?
The need for a companion for the elderly arises when your elderly person is alone, you do not have enough time to take care of them, and they need to communicate and talk with a friend and companion to prevent isolation and depression.
Does a companion for the elderly have to have a special specialty?
No, but having experience and familiarity with the needs of the elderly is a great advantage.
Do companion care for elderly living alone cost a lot?
Depending on the type of service and the provider, the costs vary.
Can companion robots replace human companions?
Robots are helpful in some situations, but they cannot completely replace human companions.
Is a companion for the elderly only for help at home?
No, companions can also help with social activities and even medical care.