Most people only think about caregiving in relation to the elderly, but people with disabilities benefit from care, too. In particular, in-home care is something that many disabled people depend on to get through the day.
Here’s how this wonderful service helps.
Fills in the gaps where friends and family are unavailable
Time and energy are limited resources and when it comes to caregiving, they’re even more scarce. Just the act of caring for another individual is rough and can deplete someone to a large extent, which makes it hard to provide care regularly. This is why most families coordinate their care efforts and try to prevent any one person from working too much or too hard.
Realistically, it’s easy to burn out, even if you’re not helping that much. Friends and family members can only support someone to a certain point, even when living in the same home. People have schedules to keep, jobs to keep, and kids to take care of on top of their caregiving duties.
When family can’t be there to help 24/7, the person who needs care often has unmet needs. In-home care helps people with disabilities get all the assistance they need when their loved ones can’t cover everything. It’s also possible to get a care provider who is legally able to perform tasks like administer medication, which is helpful for many people who depend on a prescription for their health.
Provides support for difficult tasks
For people who have a disability, some tasks are extremely difficult. Everyone has different abilities, but generally speaking, some of the most common tasks include:
- Bathing/showering
- Cooking meals
- Going to the bathroom
- Taking out the trash
- Grocery shopping
- Getting to appointments
- Doing laundry
- Washing the dishes
- Checking the mail
- Tidying up around the house
- Transferring from a wheelchair to a couch or bed
When a caregiver is present, these tasks are handled with ease. The caregiver will either do these tasks or assist the person as needed.
Supports families to prevent burnout
Often, friends and family members struggle to care for someone because it’s hard to coordinate the tasks and not become burned out. With in-home care, family members and friends can get the breaks they need to recover from the stress of caregiving.
Caregiver burnout is common and it’s not something to take lightly. It’s more than just when someone feels tired and can go home, sleep it off, and recover the next day. This type of burnout has a long-term impact on the caregiver because it’s the stress of the job itself that creates the burnout. For example, some people crash and burn because they struggle with the emotional aspect of caring for a loved one. For other people, it’s strictly physical.
Caregiving is a demanding job and it’s not for everyone. Most people who end up caring for a loved one didn’t intend to do so, and aren’t always cut out for the job.
Supports a person’s mental health
There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to take care of yourself or do basic things like brush your teeth, wash your clothes, and take a shower. When these activities are tough or impossible to do alone, it takes a toll on a person’s mental health. Thankfully, in-home care can help.
Caregivers are specifically trained to help disabled adults with a variety of needs to whatever degree necessary. For example, some people might need light assistance being transferred from a wheelchair to their bed, while others might need complete support. Some people may only need someone to chop their vegetables so they can cook their own meals, but others might need all meals fully prepped and stored in the fridge/freezer.
Gets them involved in community activities
For people with a disability or injury, it’s hard for them to get around town to participate in activities like farmer’s markets, concerts, and community clubs. With in-home care, their caregiver can transport them and accompany them to these events and make sure they have the help they need to have a good time.
In-home care is a life saver for disabled people
There are many disabled adults in this world who wouldn’t be able to live in their own home without caregivers at their side. If they didn’t have this kind of support, they’d have to live in a nursing home and that’s not glamorous.
It’s a tough job, but many caregivers love their profession and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. To disabled people who rely on others daily, they are life savers.
