What is Elder Care?

As we or our loved ones get older, it’s not uncommon for us to experience challenges that we wouldn’t have had to face in our younger years. This might spark a number of physical and mental changes, such as anxiety, depression and less activity.

It’s important to remember that there are a variety of resources to help during this time, such as elder care. This is a broad spectrum of care types, from personal to home, housekeeping to companionship.

In this guide, we’ll explore what elder care is and how it can help you or a loved one make the most of this natural life change.

Who needs elder care?

Elder care offers extra support for older adults who may not be able to complete day-to-day tasks as easily as they used to. There are several reasons why you might require elder care, and it’s typically needed by:

Older adults with physical limitations: Seniors with chronic illnesses that affect mobility, such as arthritis and osteoporosis, may need elder care to help them with daily tasks and transportation.
Seniors post-surgery or hospitalisation: If you’ve had a stay in hospital recently, you might need temporary care to help with rehabilitation, physical therapy and keeping up with your daily routine.
Individuals experiencing cognitive decline: Dementia and memory loss become more common with age, so elders going through cognitive decline sometimes require special care to ensure their safety and well-being.
Those who need help with daily living: Older individuals may find themselves no longer able to complete daily tasks such as dressing, cooking, taking medication and toileting.
Lonely or isolated seniors: Elderly adults who live alone might begin experiencing social isolation, so elder care can include companionship as well as daily support.
People with terminal illnesses: Palliative or hospice care are often required for elderly people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, managing symptoms and prioritising comfort.

The different types of elder care

Elder care is a broad spectrum of care types available for seniors, so it’s important you know about all of them before making an informed decision with your loved one. Each type of elder care is designed to meet a specific set of needs and circumstances, so once you have this knowledge, you can compare them against what your loved one struggles with and needs the most help with.

Here are the main options of elder care and what they’re designed to achieve:

Home care

Home care allows your loved one to remain at home while still receiving expert, tailored care from a professional. There are two options for home care: live-in and visiting care. Live-in carers are available 24/7 for anything their clients need, assisting with daily tasks, medical support and companionship.

Visiting carers also help with personal tasks like bathing, dressing, cooking and cleaning, but instead of offering round-the-clock care, they’ll help your loved one during scheduled visits. These can be as frequent as needed, depending on how much support your loved one needs.

For more information on elder care at home, download our live-in care guide, where you’ll find plenty of information on our services and what our carers can do for you.

Care homes

Care homes refers to either residential or nursing homes, both of which offer 24-hour care for your loved one. These are best for seniors who struggle to manage at home and who may require closer monitoring by healthcare professionals. Care homes offer several services such as daily activities, meals, social interaction and medical care. The move to a care home can be stressful on older adults, but sometimes necessary to make sure they’re receiving enough care and support throughout the day.

Day care centres

Day care centres offer care for your loved one during the daytime, supporting them with any assistance they might need throughout the waking hours. These centres are a great place for seniors to socialise, get involved in activities they may not be able to do at home and enjoy meals cooked for them. Day care centres are best suited for families who can’t be available throughout the day, but are able to take over caring responsibilities during the night.

Dementia care

Dementia care is a type of care specifically for those who are dealing with a form of the disease, including Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia. This type of care can be offered at home or in a care facility, depending on the severity of your loved one’s symptoms. Carers are dedicated to assisting them with day-to-day living in a safe and supportive environment. They help to manage symptoms and enhance their clients’ quality of life despite their cognitive impairments.

Palliative care

Palliative care is a specialised medical care for older adults with serious, life-limiting health conditions or illnesses. A carer will focus on providing relief from your loved one’s symptoms, pain and stress, with the aim to improve their quality of life. Palliative care is offered at home, in care homes or in hospice facilities, depending on where your loved one is most comfortable and how much medical assistance they need.

Respite care

Respite care is excellent for families who are trying to care for a loved one by themselves, but who need a break every now and then. Respite care is offered either at home or at a day care facility, and it gives you peace of mind knowing your loved one is being looked after by a professional while you tend to personal matters, take a break or go on holiday. Caring for a friend or family member can be incredibly challenging at times, so respite care gives you the opportunity to focus on yourself while your loved one is continuing to receive the care they need.

Hospice care

Hospice care, sometimes known as end-of-life care, is a form of palliative support offered to people in their final weeks or months. When the priority switches to providing comfort over treatment, a carer can support your loved one by focusing on dignity and pain management during this difficult time. Hospice care has typically been given in specialist residential settings, but more and more people are choosing live-in hospice care to help them remain at home.

The benefits of elder care at home

There are plenty of benefits to elder care for both you and your loved one. You might experience push-back when broaching the topic of elder care with someone who perhaps would benefit from it, but the knowledge that they’re being looked after by a professional and friendly carer can be a huge weight off both your shoulders.

To make the subject more palatable, consider elder care at home. Carers can provide most services required from their client’s homes, letting you remain in your comfortable surroundings while getting the support you need.

Here are some of the biggest benefits of elder care at home:

Maintain routines and hobbies: There’s no need to give up your hobbies and routine, as an at-home carer will work around these things. If you’re part of a club or attend church every week, a carer can support you in getting to these places to help you continue enjoying them for longer.
No worries about visiting hours: See your family and friends whenever you want, and don’t worry about care home visiting hours getting in the way. This is excellent if you’re worried about feeling isolated in a residential home setting.
Foster independence: As much as possible, a carer will aim to foster independence and encourage older adults to continue their day-to-day activities and chores, stepping in only when necessary.
Flexible support: Choosing between live-in and visiting care means you are in control of how much support you have on a daily basis. Live-in carers are excellent if you crave companionship, but if you’re a fan of your own company, visiting care offers a happy medium.
Remain in your much-loved home: If you’re houseproud and don’t want to give up the home you’ve worked so hard on throughout the years, home care offers premium personalised support without the anxiety-inducing move.
Cost effective: Live-in and visiting care costs are typically lower or in line with the costs of a care home facility, especially for couples who are usually charged for two rooms in a care home. Remaining at home can keep costs down while still ensuring you get expert support.
Relief for loved ones: Getting older is a huge change, not only for us but also for our families. At-home care offers them relief in the knowledge that we’re safe and happy at home while still being looked after in any way we need.

Getting a loved one used to the idea of elder care

Despite all the benefits elder care comes with, it might still be a difficult subject to bring up with someone who needs it. They might be hesitant to have a stranger in their home, or even worry that this extra help will end with them being moved to a care home – but this isn’t the case. Premium live-in carers will support all their needs from the place they feel most comfortable, without unfamiliar surroundings and downsizing.

To get your loved one used to the idea of live-in or visiting care, you could start with small steps. At Trinity, we prioritise long-term contracts, so your loved one can get used to their designated carer without the worry of meeting a new face to remember every week. The first step could be respite care once a week before moving up to visiting care every day, ending with live-in care if they require more assistance.

Working towards the amount of care they need gives them the opportunity to become friendly with their carer, keeps them independent for longer and hopefully lets them remain in control of this new life change.

How Trinity Homecare can help

At Trinity Homecare, we take pride in our ability to perfectly match you or your loved one with a carer who will support them in this new phase of life with a personalised and tailored care plan. We do this all from the comfort of their own home, eliminating the stress that comes with moving to a residential or nursing home.

The care we provide includes:

One-to-one support at home
Completely bespoke live-in care that has been tailored to you
Specialist care for a number of different circumstances
Home carers carefully matched to your needs
CQC rated ‘Outstanding’ live-in care services

Trinity Homecare has more than 25 years of experience, providing the highest standards of care services to our clients. Our expert carers are fully trained and appreciate that everyone is unique with their own set of personal challenges, and therefore are able to adapt to whatever your loved one requires.

Talk to us today

If your loved one requires home care, chat with one of our friendly care team today. We offer a free, no-obligation enquiry and assessment service and are happy to offer information and advice to help you find the perfect home care solution.

Call us on 020 4572 5583 in confidence for a free no obligation quotation. If enquiring outside of our opening hours, please complete our online form and we will contact you the next day.