Estimated reading time - 6 min
Imagine the scenario…
Liam, a loving son, notices his elderly mother, Priya, is increasingly struggling with daily tasks. Liam, like in many families in this situation, begins to help his mother manage things better. However, over time, he finds himself taking on more and more tasks, juggling his job and personal life to make sure Priya is safe and comfortable. He wishes other family members could do more, but they are living too far away to provide daily help. Over time, the demands grow, inching from occasional help to almost full-time care. Liam reaches a tipping point when Priya’s health takes a sudden turn for the worse. The family scrambles to find professional home care, only to discover that the process is both time-consuming and costly. When care starts, Priya is visibly uncomfortable with strangers entering her home and doesn’t understand why Liam can’t do more. The suddenness of the situation makes the transition even more difficult on everyone.
This story is all too familiar for many families. The gradual increase in care needs often culminates into crisis, triggering a frantic search for professional help. This causes significant stress for families and could cause resistance from elderly individuals who may feel their privacy is being invaded.
On the other side of the equation…
Home care providers also face their own set of challenges.
Louise is a manager for a well-respected home care agency and often meets families who are in crisis mode. The unplanned, urgent nature of these requests makes it difficult to immediately provide the level of care that elderly people like Priya need. Resources are stretched thin, and recruiting the right caregiver with the necessary skills on short notice is a daunting task. For Louise, every day is filled with the challenge of juggling these resources, trying to meet the growing demands of families while maintaining high standards of care.
Louise wishes Liam had contacted them earlier, so Priya’s care package could be planned in advance, giving her the ability to offer more options to support Liam and his family sooner. However, the economics of the business dictate a significant number of minimum hours and associated costs for any initial care package, which often deters families from seeking assistance early on. Louise often encounters families put off by these requirements in the early stages of care, so family members like Liam tend to carry on without help, prolonging the struggle until a more severe crisis inevitably arises. Louise wishes she had more to offer carers in these early stages before the situation reaches a critical level.
Enter Blended Care
Blended care, enabled by platforms like Vantiva’s HomeSight system, offers a revolutionary approach to these challenges. By combining traditional in-home care with advanced remote care and monitoring technologies, blended care provides an easier, earlier start to professional care.
With HomeSight, Louise’s company can offer remote care options to support Liam in caring for his mother in an easy-to-adopt and cost-effective way:
- Connecting the Elderly with Carers, Family & Friends
Leveraging technology that is familiar to his mother, the television, Liam can check-in by video calling whenever he wants without the need to travel to Priya’s home. The wider family and friends can support in the task of caring, even if they are not local. Louise’s team can provide help by checking in on Priya when Liam is unavailable.
- Monitoring
Unobtrusive monitoring of the home environment and lifestyle can detect abnormal behavior, triggering intervention by Liam or the care provider. For Liam, it brings peace of mind knowing someone else is watching over his mother.
- Social Engagement
While Liam visits as much as he can, Priya spends a lot of time on her own. Video and group calling with the wider support group of family & friends reduces loneliness. It enables Priya to be part of family events and gatherings, even if she cannot be there in person.
- Wellness
Louise’s care agency can offer services that promote wellness and health regimes. For example, reminders to take medication can display on the TV, backed up by video calls to see the elderly person is doing what is required. Exercises videos, recorded or live classes, can also be provided — all helping to delay the need for higher levels of care, keeping Priya healthier and living independently for longer.
Gradual Introduction of Professional Care:
Remote care provides more options for the provider to offer in a care package. Addressing social engagement, monitoring and wellness, the HomeSight system can be introduced as an initial step in care, before in-home care is needed. As part of a full suite of available care, Louise’s care agency is there to introduce additional services as needed, in a planned and well-managed way. This provides assurance to Liam knowing someone else is watching over Priya and is there to step in with additional care when the need arises.
Priya can become acquainted with carers through video calls or wellness activities. This gradual introduction helps build trust, making the transition to in-home care smoother when it becomes necessary.
Benefits for Home Care Providers
- Early Onboarding and Revenue Generation:
Blended care allows providers to start services earlier, generating revenue sooner and establishing a long-term relationship with the client. - Tailored Care Plans:
By monitoring changes in the elderly person’s needs, care providers can offer more personalized and effective care plans based on evolving care needs. - Effective Resource Management:
With better visibility of growing care demands, providers can plan resources more efficiently, ensuring they are prepared for the delivery of in-home care as needed.
Conclusion
Blended care is the future of home care, offering a solution that benefits all parties involved. For families, it provides an easier start and peace of mind. For home care providers, it offers early onboarding, tailored care, and efficient resource management. The HomeSight platform exemplifies how technology can bridge the gap, transforming the home care landscape.
By reimagining connected care through blended solutions like HomeSight, we can make significant strides in improving the quality and efficiency of home care services. Let’s take this step together, for a brighter, healthier future.
Ready to explore how blended care can revolutionize your home care services? Connect with the HomeSight team today and start providing better care, sooner.
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