As I pondered the idea of senior independence, I couldn’t help reflecting on the many clients we have helped over the years. Each person has had their own individual needs and requirements that would allow them to remain at home with a better quality of life. Basic activities of daily living were professionally managed by a compassionate caregiver, providing them the autonomy they deserved and desperately wanted to preserve.
Senior independence looks different for each aging adult, and the following brief stories about some of the special clients we have helped with in-home care services clearly demonstrate that. (Their names have been changed to protect their privacy).
Tony is an 81-year-old gentleman with a Ph.D. in Business Administration. He has a mild disability with his foot and ankle, and he is a bachelor. He needs assistance with light housekeeping and meal preparation, and he really enjoys the companionship a caregiver provides.
Chris is a 40-something, Doctor of Chiropractic, and he copes with more profound disabilities associated with Multiple Sclerosis. He needs assistance being transferred to/from his wheelchair and to/from the bed and commode. His level of paralysis means he also needs help with personal care, such as dressing, brushing his teeth, combing his hair, and bathing/showering. His girlfriend handles these things when she is not working, but she is the head of the household and provides for them both, meaning long work hours. A caregiver makes their lives easier so she can do her job to provide for their family, and he has the best quality of life possible.
Bernice was 78 years old when she was diagnosed with dementia. She never understood the diagnosis and would tell anyone she talked to that she had never heard of such a thing. When a caregiver was introduced to help her with everyday tasks, she was reluctant. When she was told she could no longer drive, she was defiant. A caregiver helped her with transportation assistance and light housekeeping at first, then more in-home care services were added as her dementia progressed. After a night out for drinks with friends, she fell, broke her hip, and after a stint in physical rehab, she landed in an Assisted Living Facility. The facility was short staffed, so her caregiver was asked to visit several times each week to take her for an outing, help with cleaning her room, assist with personal care like bathing, make-up, and hair, and accompaniment to the dining room for meals. Bernice passed away shortly after her 81st birthday, as her mental and physical conditions deteriorated.
Susan asked for a caregiver to watch over her husband, Joseph, while she went to the salon and did their grocery shopping. Joseph had Alzheimer’s and she was concerned for his well-being because he could not be left alone. After Joseph suffered a couple of strokes, he died. Susan kept the caregiver on to help her with light housekeeping, but recuperative care services were sprinkled in after Susan had shoulder surgery and knee replacement. Susan is 81, and she was recently diagnosed with MS, but there are no cures and limited treatment options. Her daughter, a nurse who lives a couple of hours away, recently lost her husband and she, too, has had a knee replacement. The caregiver is like a family member to Susan, and she continues to help her with whatever is needed.
Anna was an 81-year-old who required 24-hour care due to a severe case of osteoporosis. Her severely bent posture developed after decades of looking through the lenses of microscopes as a hospital lab technician. She could not drive, shop, clean, prepare meals, toilet herself, bathe, or get in and out of bed. She needed comprehensive care including medication reminders to live her best life. She was visibly unhappy, but that stemmed more from her general attitude than her loss of senior independence. She enjoyed the companionship of the caregivers who split 12-hour shifts, and she treated them well. She passed away after contracting pneumonia.
Sandy is in her 70’s and was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She requires help with personal care, meal preparation, and light housework for approximately 40 hours/week. Having been a medical professional throughout her career, she understands the role of her caregiver to help make life easier during her battle with cancer and the challenges she faces with chemotherapy. After all, her husband has his own health issues, her oldest daughter travels extensively with her job, and her youngest daughter lives in another city. A caregiver fills in the gaps when family can’t be there or help.
Juanita was 84 when she died. She had battled stage 4 cancer of the stomach and evolved to hospice care in her home. Before the cancer exploded, she was able to do most things on her own without a problem, having been a nurse for 50 years. However, as her cancer spread, she needed 24-hour care with medication reminders, meal preparation, assistance with transfers from her bed to a chair, from a chair to the bedside commode, and eventually help within the confines of the hospital bed in her living room. The caregiver would change the sheets and bathe her while she was in the hospital bed and assist hospice nurses as much as possible. The caregiver delivered love and compassionate care until the day she died.
Candace is an 83-year-old former teacher. She has a lovely condo and lives on her own. She belongs to a bridge club and a hand-and-foot club with which she plays cards on a regular basis among friends. She embraces her senior independence, but her daughter was losing sleep after her Mom had four car accidents. Candace retired from driving and her caregiver provides transportation assistance several times each week to go to the salon; grocery shop; the cemetery where her husband is buried; the dry cleaners; the pharmacy; and to/from doctor appointments.
These are only a few examples of the clients the caregivers at Home Helpers have served to promote the senior independence each required to stay comfortable in their homes, and in Bernice’s case, an ALF.
The caregivers I employ at Home Helpers® are highly trained and skilled to deliver exceptional, compassionate, customized care and support 24/7/365, or as needed. I welcome the opportunity to meet you and your senior loved one during a FREE Assessment to discuss specific details about the in-home care services we provide to support senior independence, so I can customize a care plan and choose the perfect caregiver to make life easier, happier, and more fulfilling for everyone!
Home Helpers® Naperville & Wheaton is proudly Making Life Easier℠ for veterans and those with disabilities, illness, or recovering from injury or surgery in Aurora, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estate, Roselle, Itasca, Medinah, Naperville, Plainfield, Schaumburg, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton, and Winfield. Our team is honored to have received the Home Care Pulse – Best of Home Care® Leader in Experience, Provider of Choice, and the Employer of Choice Awards 2022, as well as the 2022 Super Star Award from Caring.com. Contact our award-winning team today if we can help make life easier for you or a loved one: 630.800.3837
