5 reasons to home share for the elderly
Decisions around the care of our elderly parents usually come suddenly causing stress and worry, along with opening up a whole new area of decision making. Elder Home Share has listed the top 5 reasons families reach out to us to secure a home share companion for an elderly parent who is living alone.
Security at night: The primary reason families reach out to Elder Home Share is concern about their parent being alone in the house at night. Having a home share companion in the house addresses issues of security and social contact.
The benefit of having a home share companion in the house is, there is a secure presence there at night without incurring the cost of having a career in the house or relying on family members to take turns in sleeping over.
A helping hand: having someone at hand to change a light bulb or pick up the phone when it disappears under the kitchen table can be a real support to an elderly homeowner. Along with this, knowing that there is someone there to put out the bins or pick up a few messages in the shop is another support. All these factors add up and provided a layer of additional support and independence to the homeowner.
Social contact: having a good level of social contact is key for human wellbeing. For older people who often live alone and do not have as much contact though going to work or raising a family, there can be long periods of time alone. Knowing that there will be some in and out of the house to have a little chat with can be a real boost. This goes for the home share companions too who benefit and values the social contact. Many of the companions come from all corners of the world and are separated from their own family so having an ‘Irish family’ becomes a source of positive interaction.
Cost saving: You’ve been on google looking up cost of live-in care and nursing homes and you're shocked. ‘My mum does not need a carer, but she needs someone about’, ‘my dad does not want to go into a nursing home and he is still very independent’ However an extra layer of support is needed. The beauty of home sharing is that everyone wins from a cost and financial stress perspective.
Happiness: ‘You know it’s working if you're happy’ this is something, I like to say to new clients who are considering home sharing. Thankfully most of the time the home shares run smoothly and both the elderly homeowner, their family and the companion express they are happy with the set up. From my own experience of being a home share companion for more than two and a half years, I can say I have been very happy! Eileen who will be 90 this year and who I have been living with since October 2018 has lifted my spirits and I think for her I’ve bought reassurance and positivity into the home too.
For more information about how a home share match could work for your elderly parent reach out to us today! www.elderhomeshare.ie it’s a win-win!
