Companion Care
From caregiving to medical home care, companion care fills the gap in senior care
What is Companion Care?
Companion care for seniors is aimed at providing assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) and other non-medical duties. The role of a companion changes based on the needs of the senior and can be provided as home care, in assisted living situations, or in other types of senior living communities. The focus of companion care is to provide both social and physical care for seniors by offering emotional support, quality of life improvements, and companionship to halt isolationism.
There are several types of companion care for older adults available:
- Companion care: often volunteers who can help run errands for seniors or help them to appointments, and other personal needs.
- Religious-based companions: many religious groups offer companion care services to those within their religious community and as outreach programs.
- In-home companion: Often shorter visits with a companion that is aimed at specific goals, such as meal prep, bathing assistance, and transportation help or errands.
- Live-in companion: Companion care of this sort is usually provided by a home care service and involves 24-hour shifts by one or more companions.
Companion Benefits to Senior Care
Whether a senior has a progressive condition or needs help to continue living independently in their home, companion care is tied to a longer and healthier life for older adults.
There are a range of benefits to having a companion help in caring for your loved one for both the senior and the adults providing the care:
- Prevent isolationism and loneliness
- Providing the means for an active social life
- Ensuring appointments are made and attendant
- Relief for the family
- Ensure mental and physical activities
- Present in case of medical services being needed
- Help with household chores that may be becoming difficult
Companion Care Services
Companion care services can be more than the name implies, companionship for a senior, from sharing personal experiences to playing board games. Isolationism is a serious problem for many seniors and having a companion can help ensure your loved one doesn’t run the risk of it. Beyond providing someone to be with, companion care services also can include:
- Transportation assistance
- Help with planning, scheduling, and keeping appointments
- Medication reminders
- Daily routine assistance, such as getting out of bed
- Meal preparation
- Housekeeping duties
- Interacting with family members for the senior to keep them aware
- Encouraging and planning social activities
- Light exercise encouragement, such as walks or senior swimming at a community pool
Finding Companion Care
We at Villageplan™ tackle the needs of families and their loved ones no matter the level of care they need. From supporting with companion care to caregiving with medical professionals. Everyone ages differently and has a unique personality, there is no one size fits all companion and our care programs are not one size fits all either.
Caring isn’t a job here at Villageplan™, it’s a calling that gives as much comfort to us as it does to your loved ones.