Safeguard Joy staff: Cheryl Kreamer, Executive Director of Joy; Stephanie Parish, Chief Joy Officer/Administrator; Kelly Bryson, Lead Caregiver.

States and institutions are beginning to see the benefit of assisted living in patients’ homes. After hospitalization, most people prefer to heal at home. Similarly, the elderly prefer to stay home rather than go to a skilled nursing facility. Home care can provide a variety of benefits to support activities of daily living, including assistance with cooking, cleaning, and even bathing.

Here are seven benefits of receiving care at home that you may not be aware of:

1. Home Care Can Reduce Falls and Hospital Readmissions. If you have had surgery or been hospitalized for a medical illness, you might have safety concerns at home, particularly the risk of falls. The truth is that falls with resulting injuries are quite common in hospitals, despite efforts to reduce them. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that an elderly or ill person is less likely to suffer a serious event at home compared to an acute care setting. Home care can also reduce the rate of hospital readmission.
2. Even if You Only Need Help With Housework, Home Care Can Help. Perhaps there’s no need for help with medications or post-surgical care. Maybe your biggest concern is that you or your loved one won’t be able to cook, clean, or generally take care of activities of daily living. It turns out that this is no longer a reason to stay in the hospital or nursing home. You don’t need to hire a skilled professional. Many agencies provide home health aides, who can help you or a family member cook and clean, and even provide help with bathing.
3. Home Care Can Provide Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. If you’ve had surgery and you’ll be needing physical or occupational therapy, you don’t have to go to a rehabilitation facility. In most communities, at-home physical therapy services are available. Often, therapy exercise directives are sent with the patient to be carried out at home – Personal Care Attendants can assist with making sure that care plan is being adhered to. Another benefit that at-home therapy provides is the opportunity to assess the safety and accessibility of the home environment. A caregiver’s trained eyes can spot fall hazards or bathroom dangers and provide helpful preventive advice.
4. You Can Get a Break From Caring For a Loved One. Caring for a family member is time-consuming and stressful. In the past, there was no relief from these burdens. Now, with at-home respite care, your loved one can remain at home with a certified caregiver. Today there are a variety of options that can help you afford the cost of a respite care provider.
5. You Don’t Need to Be in a Hospital to be Monitored. The need for close monitoring used to be a common reason patients needed long hospital stays. The advent of wearable technology has solved many of these problems, allowing patients to be monitored at home. Many cardiac and respiratory monitoring functions that could only be performed at hospitals can now be done safely in the home setting for infants as well as adults. Remote cameras with or without two-way communication allow family or even professionals to monitor patients visually, and to check in periodically without having to make a home visit.
6. Home Health Care Specialists Can Help You Adapt Your Home to Fit Your Changing Needs. If you or your loved one is getting on in years and is unsure of the feasibility of staying at home for the long term, you can engage a professional to come to your home and make an assessment. A certified aging-in-place specialist can provide helpful advice regarding remodeling of a living space to make it accessible and safe for an elderly person for the long term.
7. Here’s the Surprise: Home Care Provides a Hospital Level of Care at Home. If the only thing keeping a patient in the hospital is the need for intravenous medications, there is good news: there is now a way to manage infusion therapy at home. Specialty pharmacies and home nursing agencies collaborate to provide safe and effective care to patients at home. Home care is safe, effective and can prevent hospitalization or nursing home placement. It is an option you should certainly consider discussing with your physician.

“We are excited to venture to our area, as it made perfect sense to add an in-home care agency where there are currently no licensed providers and a large demand for in-home care services specifically serving our area,” said Safeguard Joy’s Owner/CEO, Stephanie Parish.

Safeguard Joy provides in-home care services to elderly and disabled in Pulaski County and surrounding counties where caregivers are available. Parish believes her company’s model of providing joyful care is key to their success.

“Care, consistency, cost, communication and coordination, something we refer to as the five “C’s”, are paramount to ensuring the highest levels of care,” Parish said. “We are dealing with a vulnerable population who rely on skilled caregivers who provide everything from bathing and medication management, to housekeeping and mobility assistance.”

Safeguard Joy has hired Cheryl Kreamer as Executive Director of Joy and Kelly Bryson as Lead Caregiver. Kreamer has a marketing and legal background while Bryson has worked in the health care industry since 1994. This women-led company advocates for persons with disabilities and senior independence.

“Truly knowing your caregivers and having in-depth interviews with clients are key to ensuring the clients and caregivers have fulfilling experiences,” Parish said. “If our caregivers are going to spend time in a client’s home, we want to make sure both parties enjoy each other’s company.”

She added, “Beyond the personal care being provided, the unique relationship can create secondary benefits including better health outcomes and aid in recovery and overall happiness - which is our end goal in every situation. We are a part of the continuum of care for our clients.”

Safeguard Joy specializes in providing quality in-home care services from hours a day to round-the-clock care and is currently hiring and accepting all levels of clients for services ranging from housekeeping and meal preparation to medication and personal care services.

Safeguard Joy’s home office is located at 8111 W 400 S, Winamac, and can be reached by phone at 219-954-0054 or by visiting the website at www.safeguardjoy.com.