According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, The Sexes use home care differently. Men will use more medical home health care and women, more of the day to day homemaking assistance.
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Men & Women Use Home Care Differently
Stands to reason as Men and Women tend to have different approaches to health care, medical visits and the idea of using help when needed rather than toughing it out.
The report found that over 80% of seniors 65 and older, had a primary (family) caregiver.
The men used their wife as their primary caregiver 3 times as often as women, who were twice as likely to have an adult son or daughter, or other family member provide care – not husband.
Hmmm, this is also found that with Long Term Care Insurance, the wife has a policy and the husband does not– figuring his wife will care for him. That is a plan, but works only if the wife is alive and able to be a caregiver at an advanced age.
One of the reasons women use home care more often than men is because they are likely to be older (85 +), and widowed – living alone.
Following an acute health situation is when men are more likely to use an aide in the home. They are also more likely to use a physical therapist and have wound care – RN – nursing care at home.
Interestingly, although the study looked at the patterns of in-home care or assistance utilized by men and women, a look at the needs versus the putting off of care wasn’t examined.
Look at your own family experience. Is there a need for either parent to have an aide to assist with personal care or routine household tasks? Do they have Long Term Care Insurance to help cover the costs? Is one parent the primary caregiver to the other due to dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease?
Often the way into a senior’s home is through the medical need, a visiting Registered Nurse, Physical or Occupational Therapists are the most common. These “Skills” are covered at 100% through Medicare – along with bath visits. Once Medicare services end, then it can be easier to coax a parent to continue with some in-home assistance as needed. They are already used to the coming and goings of a new person in their life.
It is insightful to know how your mother or father will begin use of home health care. It help start the discussion by a concerned family member- spouse or adult offspring. Start with the practical and start small and then build in more hours or days as needs grow. Non-medical home care can be hourly or live-in, long term or short term. It is helpful to work with a home care company with expertise in assessing the in-home care needs of your family and help you to build a sensible and flexible care plan to meet an immediate or long range situation. Boca Home Care Services in South Florida, is one such company.
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