Resources for Home Helpers

A Guide to Home Helpers

If you have a loved one of advancing age who needs more help than they used to, or have suffered from an illness in the family, home helpers might well be the solution to get your life back on track.  They come in all shapes and sizes, and can help you with a wide variety of tasks, so you can find the one who’s right for your needs.  Let’s consider what some of the advantages are, and think about what you might want to watch out for if you’ll be hiring one.

Benefits

Home helpers can be of great use to you and your family, especially in moments of crisis or transition.  They can keep the routine of the household moving along, keep the sense of life and urgency that may slip out when you’ve suffered a loss or an illness.  It’s the kind of support that makes all the difference when you’re trying to get your life back on track, and you don’t want to miss a meal, or feed the kids too much take-out.

Mostly though, home helpers are useful for maintaining the living standards and engagement level of a member of your family whose health is deteriorating due to age or illness.  They can help with something as intimate as bathing, or assist the household with something as general as errands or light housekeeping.  Whatever you need to improve the health of the patient, as well as your family’s well-being, you can achieve by employing the right home helper.

For many elderly people, health dangers can arise simply from alienation: they don’t interact with enough people, don’t challenge themselves, and will eventually find their minds taking the toll.  It’s one of the causes of dementia, and it’s something that can be warded off with something as ordinary as a weekly visit from a home helper, who can chat with the loved one and listen to what they have to say.  It’s a good strategy for preventing what can become serious health issues down the line.

Pitfalls

Having home helpers around can alter the dynamic of your family life.  Some may like them, some may not, and you may find yourself, as the coordinator of care, forced to make decisions that are going to be unpopular.  It’s intimate to have someone in your home who’s not related to you, and you may find it invasive.  And you may find that it takes a while to find someone you’re comfortable having around.  Just keep at it: most people end up growing very close to their home helpers once they’ve settled on the right one.

Conclusion

It’s a difficult thing to live with someone who needs constant attention, and you can’t be blamed for wanting assistance in this difficult time.  So don’t wait too long: if you can make your life – and your loved one’s – easier by seeking out some help, do so.  It won’t be long before you’re wondering how you ever got along without them.