What does it mean to be home? Is it a location? Is it the cozy feeling when you walk in to a warm house on a cold day? Is it who you are with? Or is it a combination of many factors? As proponents of home care, it is imperative that we recognize the aspects of what people define as home and their personal priorities in their dwellings. I was recently in the home of a client of mine, and her husband verbalized how the caregiver who was helping his wife liked to clean the kitchen floor right before she left in the afternoon, but that he and his wife liked their house fully clean first thing in the morning in case they had unexpected company that day. Home care today encompasses many things—from cleaning a client’s home the way they like, to skilled care in the home that would have taken place in a hospital not that long ago. Studies have shown and many of us have firsthand experience of the benefits of recovering, healing or just maintaining ourselves in a supportive home environment. Clients can be around their own belongings, furnishings, family members, and pets which promotes a sense of security and safety and can decrease the stress on the client and family. With less stress comes increased health and wellness as well as a sense of control of their situation. Perhaps their diagnoses is out of their control, but if they are in their own environment, they potentially could feel better in general about where they are in life. As home care workers, let’s be mindful of where we are and who we are with when we step over the threshold into another person’s home, and treat it and them as we would like to be treated. What a privilege to help people at home!
Colorado Home Health Services PeopleCare Health Services
