Recently, our whole world has been plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic. None of us were prepared, whether on an organizational level, or an individual level. Of course, how could we have foreseen that our whole world will be forced to a lockdown while we battle a deadly and widespread disease? Even with the imposed lockdown in most countries, most of us are still able to survive because we have the strength and agility to protect ourselves and prepare as much as we can. But what about those who are vulnerable? What about those who are too old or sick to take care of themselves? Home care has been around for quite some time, but the industry has recently been in the spotlight for its role during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the current pandemic, home care organizations have been stepping up to help the sick and vulnerable elders to their capacity. To understand more about home care, what it is, and how it will change after this COVID-19 pandemic, keep reading!
What is Home Care?
Home care encompasses a wide range of services, but it is essentially a service that provides in-home caregivers that can range from companions to skilled nurses and therapists. Home care exists so that vulnerable patients or more elder patients can be assisted to carry out their activities of daily living (ADL). Nowadays, families might live miles away from their elderly parents or might not have the time off their busy schedules to always check upon them. Therefore, home care provides them with a sense of security that their loved ones are being cared for, their medications are taken on time, and even certain procedures that can be carried out by therapists or nurses. For example, if your loved one requires weekly physiotherapy, home care can provide a physical therapist to your home at set timings so they will never again miss an appointment.
Changes in Home Care After The COVID-19 Pandemic
Home care has really stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic. While hospitals, health care professionals, nursing homes, and essentially everyone else focused on saving hospital beds and resources for the influx of COVID-19 patients, home care was there to help the sick, disabled, and the elderly. One change that will most likely have a permanent impact on the industry is the growing aspect of digitalisation. More and more doctors offer diagnoses via video calls and will receive “virtual patients” via their websites. While these measurements are born out of necessity in the times of this pandemic, they will probably continue to exist out of convenience.
Increased Demand For Home Care
While the nationwide lockdown came as a shock to everyone, most of us still had the means to make the necessary preparations. But what about the sick, disabled, or old patients who live alone or too far away for their families to check in on them before the lockdown? Especially during this pandemic where elderly patients and those who have underlying health illnesses that are at high risk of contracting the disease, we must keep them out of hospitals! By contacting home care services, families can arrange for someone to drop by and ensure that the patient has adequate food, groceries, medication, etc. Home care also ensures that sick patients do not need to go to the hospitals in case they fall sick, where they have a high chance of contracting the disease by bringing the care to their homes.
Home Care for Coronavirus
While home care has always been there to provide for the elderly, ill patients, and patients with disabilities, home care must now also care for COVID-19 patients. It is now, that the healthcare at home industry is being put to the test. As a consequence of the crisis, more and more households have people at home that require some kind of care. Oftentimes, this is manageable, but if the sick person belongs to a high-risk group, such as an elderly person or a chronically ill person, it is of the highest importance that they receive the best care available, otherwise the consequences may be dire.
This is where home care services step up. They are able to provide care for those patients that are stuck with their families at home, unable to receive proper treatment on their own. They are the ones that, in times where hospitals overflow and no bed is guaranteed, that can help regular people get the treatment they need for their sick loved ones. With this pandemic, we have seen the importance of home care workers to provide care for those who are vulnerable. Nevertheless, supply during the pandemic was struggling to keep up with demand. This is good news however, as it means more job opportunities for social workers, skilled nurses, therapists, etc. will open up to serve this industry that is here to stay. Home care is a safe, convenient, and cost-effective option for taking care of our sick and elderly.
