Home and respite care for elderly people are two different things, but each enables an elderly person to live comfortably in their own home. This article explains the differences between home care and respite care for the elderly and examines the benefits of each.

Home Care for the Elderly

Home care for the elderly is carried out by home care workers in the elderly persons home. Home care workers support elderly people who require more assistance than their family is able to provide personally.

The roles carried out by home care workers for the elderly can include housekeeping duties as well as personal care. Although the actual role of the carer varies from client to client they cover a broad range of services.

Home care workers often help out with housework such as doing their clients laundry and changing bed linens. They can also do food shopping, plan meals and cook. In addition to this, they help with the personal side of care. They help their clients to bath, dress, and brush their hair as well as accompanying them to doctors appointments and collecting prescriptions and pensions.

As well as providing household and personal care help, home care workers for the elderly also offer instruction and emotional support. They can offer advice about diet and nutrition and talk to elderly people and discuss things that might be worrying them.

Respite Care for the Elderly

Respite care is another key aspect of caring for the elderly. Respite care is when an outside care worker takes over from the primary caregiver for a certain period of time so that they can have a break from their everyday duties.

For example, if a daughter has primary responsibility for looking after her elderly parent and needs a break, she can arrange for a care worker to take over her duties for a specified period of time.

As such, respite care for the elderly is an invaluable source of help and support for primary carers.