Photo from Home Life Senior Care
The in-home care companies realize that in order for you to age in place you need more than a person who comes in periodically to help with your personal needs. Those people are extremely important and no device will ever fully take their place. But, to live totally in place you need help with other services.
Families are busy. Caregivers are typically running their own households plus taking care of an aged loved one. They are stretched thin. This is one reason for the growth of in-home care agencies. They take care of the basic needs which the frazzled caregiver/family member can’t fit in. Home care agencies realize that simply providing a person to assist with activities of daily living is not enough. The elderly who do not drive any longer need transportation services and all of them need a form of home alert system to monitor safety. This is where home care can consolidate services.
Home care agencies are starting to look at ways to form alliances with companies that provide services that the elderly need to stay in their homes. They want to use a similar model as assisted living facilities, who provide on-site meals, a private van for medical and pleasure trips, and monitoring systems to manage safety issues. They are looking to technology companies, transportation and delivery services to provide comprehensive benefits.
Need help with your safety when the caregiver is not there? There’s a tech company for that. A family member took your car keys because you are not safe to drive any longer? There’s a transportation service to fill the gap. The list of potential services can go on and on to include grocery delivery, providing medical equipment and adult day care service. Home care agencies are stepping up to offer additional services to cover all aspects of your lifestyle.
Photo from Daily Caring
Think of this the way travel companies combine vacation packages to include hotel, flight, ground transportation and tickets to your favorite theme park. Home care companies will develop a package just for you, all in the name of aging in place. They will do this by forming agreements with those who already provide the product or service. Initially, they will look to technology companies who can provide in-home security. That can be anything from a tablet or desktop computer that provides face time with family to wearable devices, such as smart watches, to call emergency services. Which transportation service do you want, Uber, Lyft or your local community provided service? Ideally, you will be able to choose which set of services or package that suits your needs. They will not reinvent the wheel to do this. They will only put the spokes in place.
For more information:
Holly, Robert. “Home Instead Making Tech Push….” homehealthcare news.com, January 30, 2019.
Mullaney, Tim. “Senior Living Providers Expect Disruption from Increase in At-Home Services. homehealthcarenews.com January 29, 2019.
