Learn more about how live-in care helps protect vulnerable older people from many of the risk factors typically present in the home environment.
Live-in care helps protect vulnerable older people in a variety of ways.
With a dedicated team of two live-in carers on hand 24/7, your loved one will be shielded from many of the risks associated with getting older.
Today, we’ll look at five of the risks elderly people regularly face at home and how live-in care can help ensure they stay safe and secure.
Protect vulnerable older people with a dedicated live-in care team
These are five of the most important ways live-in care helps protect vulnerable older people:
1. Home safety
The home environment becomes more of a challenge to navigate as we get older.
Declining mobility or eyesight could increase your loved one’s risk of experiencing a fall or other type of injury. This could lead to a hospital stay, or result in the emergence of a secondary health condition.
A live-in care team helps protect vulnerable older people by keeping an eye out for things such as:
- Loose carpets
- Protruding furniture
- Slippery surfaces
- Sharp objects
- Hot objects/surfaces
Any of these could result in injury. Removing or safely positioning such items significantly reduces the risks your loved one faces.
2. Medication management
Your loved one might well have been prescribed a range of tablets and other medications.
It’s likely that he or she will need to take these at different times/on different days, either with or without food/water.
Get this wrong, and your loved one could inadvertently take too much or too little of certain medications, preventing treatment from being effective and increasing the risk of side effects.
Managing this process is especially difficult when conditions affecting the memory – such as dementia – are present.
With live-in care, your loved one’s specially-trained care team will manage this process on their behalf.
3. Third parties
Sadly, older people are at greater risk of falling victim to fraudulent behaviour or scams.
These scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with messages and documents designed specifically to target vulnerable older people.
Such activity can come from a range of sources, including:
- Cold callers
- Unwanted home visitors
- Letters/fake documentation
Your loved one’s live-in care team will be fully trained to proactively look out for and recognise this kind of communication, then take immediate action to keep your loved one protected.
4. Unseen incidents
You can’t be on-hand 24/7, so it’s difficult to know whether any incidents have taken place in your absence.
There are all sorts of reasons why your loved one may not report an incident – such as a fall or mini-stroke – including:
- They don’t want to cause a fuss
- They’re embarrassed about it
- They don’t understand what’s happened
- They’ve forgotten about it
However, your loved one’s live-in care team will be on the premises and ready to respond immediately. They can also act as a vital point of contact for paramedics, GPs and other medical professionals.
5. Declining condition
Many medical conditions associated with ageing are degenerative, so are likely to progress over time.
It can be incredibly difficult to spot slight changes in your loved one’s behaviour or condition unless you’re on-hand most of the time.
A changing condition may mean your loved one faces additional risks, or that the medication/care they’re currently receiving is no longer the best option for them.
Our live-in care teams are trained to recognise changing conditions and intervene in a timely manner. They can speak to doctors regarding medication and adapt your loved one’s care plan to fit their changing needs.
These are just some of the ways live-in care helps protect vulnerable older people. However, having a dedicated, comprehensively trained care team on-site also provides a host of other benefits.
Find out more about how live-in care helps older people stay safe and protected in their own cherished homes by speaking with our friendly team.
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