Are There Different Types of Caregivers?

A caregiver can help your loved one live more comfortably by assisting with basic chores or healthcare management. To truly enhance your loved one’s health and quality of life through professional care, you need to hire the right caregiver. Here are some popular caregiving options. 

In-Home Caregivers 

In-home caregivers offer their services in the comfort of clients’ homes. They’re ideal if your loved one wants to stay close to family, hold onto the memories they have in their home, or maintain their independence. In-home caregivers fall into various categories — family caregivers, non-medical home care providers, and home health caregivers. 

Family caregivers are unpaid family members, neighbors, or friends who offer to care for their loved ones. They may offer emotional, financial, homemaking, and social services on an intermittent basis for people who are semi-independent or daily for those who need around-the-clock care. 

Non-medical home care providers are provided by agencies to offer non-skilled personal care. These professionals are paid and can provide more support because caregiving is their primary role. They can handle tasks like driving your loved one to appointments, shopping, toileting, laundry, and cooking. 

Home health caregivers focus on helping clients recover from injuries or illnesses in their homes. They can offer occupational and physical therapy if your loved one has sustained an injury. 

Adult Daycare Caregivers 

You’ll need an adult daycare caregiver if you want your loved one to live at home but can’t provide their needed care during the day. These professionals supplement in-home family caregivers if they have daily jobs. 

Daycare caregivers can keep your loved one safe, help with basic activities like eating and toileting and facilitate social interactions to prevent loneliness. They can also help with physical and cognitive exercises to enhance your loved one’s physical and mental well-being. 

Assisted Living Caregivers 

Assisted living caregivers offer their services in facilities that care for people who need limited assistance with daily tasks. Residents in assisted living facilities live in their own rooms or apartments and only share common facilities. 

Assisted living caregivers can offer laundry, housekeeping, meal preparation, and personal care services. Some caregivers can offer nursing care to ailing residents, but this isn’t provided on a continual basis. The extent of the medical services they can offer is limited to helping residents with self-medication — they can remind the residents to take their medication but not prescribe treatment. These caregivers are suitable if your loved one is semi-independent and doesn’t need special medical attention. 

Nursing Home Caregivers 

Nursing home caregivers offer more specialized care than assisted living caregivers because their facilities cater to people who need around-the-clock supervision. A nursing home caregiver may be an ideal choice if your loved one has a chronic condition that needs constant supervision or an injury that prevents them from handling basic tasks. 

The caregiver can help with basic tasks like bathing, toileting, and dressing in the nursing home. They can also offer medical assistance when needed and facilitate rehabilitative therapies. 

How Do You Choose the Ideal Type of Caregiving?

The right type of caregiver can be determined by your loved one’s desire to stay at home, their ability to function alone without hurting themselves, and their need for specialized care. An in-home caregiver may be ideal if your loved one wants to maintain their independence. Family caregivers and home care service providers can help with personal care, emotional care, and homemaking. Home health caregivers can offer medical assistance and physical therapy at home. You can hire an adult daycare caregiver to supplement your in-home caregiver if they’re unavailable during the day. 

An assisted living caregiver is suitable if your loved one can function semi-independently. If they can’t, a nursing home caregiver can be a better choice. Nursing home caregivers can provide a greater degree of care than assisted living caregivers — they can cater to the needs of bedridden patients, provide medical assistance, and offer physical therapy. 

Invest in Your Loved One’s Care 

Caregivers range from in-home caregivers to nursing home caregivers. Determine what kind of care best fits your loved-one’s wants, needs, or lifestyle. From in-home caregiving to adult daycare, to assisted living facilities to nursing homes, your loved one can find great benefit and increased quality of life through these avenues of assisted living.