The Importance of Emotional Needs

We all know that humans have physical needs. We need food and water, shelter, clothing, and more. Everyone needs these, and senior care tends to focus on ensuring that these needs are met for people who are having trouble getting through their day safely on their own because of advanced age, disability, or dementia. However, this is not all that senior care should be focused on. Humans have emotional needs, too. Great senior care needs to focus on both the physical and the emotional side of things in order to ensure that the elderly individuals receiving care are getting all of the attention that they need.

 

Unfortunately, not all types of care can meet emotional needs as well as others. For example, many large nursing homes have seen failures in this respect. Those who receive care in some of these homes feel like they are being treated more like a number than a person. This is something that you want to avoid at all costs for the people that you love. Just because someone is older doesn’t mean that they do not have emotions. Nursing homes aren’t necessarily bad and this doesn’t mean that all types of care are failing, but there have been a few high profile instances of failures in these areas in the news lately.

 

There are a lot of studies that can be pointed to to confirm that emotional health contributes to physical health. The two are often so closely related that they are hard to separate from each other. However, we don’t need to rely on this research to know that emotional health is important. Just take a look at the people that you care about, regardless of their age. When they are happy, their lives are better. This is something that we can all confirm anecdotally.

 

Emotional needs and physical needs often go hand in hand, especially when it comes to senior care.

 

One of the great things about in-home care is that we can devote more attention to the emotional needs of the people that we work with. Companionship is a key component of care, and this can be accomplished far more easily in the one on one setting that in-home care provides. Not only are the day to day needs like meal prep, getting around the house, cleaning, and grooming met, but a friendship can be fostered, too.

 

This is one of the reasons why we believe that working with a larger care service is so important. We you work with a care service, you get all of the protections that come with caregivers who are fully trained and insured, but you also get the wisdom of a team and their ability to select a caregiver that has a personality and skill set that matches up with the needs of your loved one.

 

As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We do offer a free consultation if you’re in the Bay Area and looking for care for a family member. Give us a call and we can help you to get started in finding the ideal care for your loved ones.

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