The Truth About Constant Care: When Someone Needs Help All Day and Night

For many families, there comes a time when someone has to admit that this is no longer working. It might be because a parent has fallen twice in one week. Maybe it’s because a spouse is getting worse but it’s more noticeable at night. Signs build up until it can no longer be ignored that the part time or semi-frequent caregiver is not enough. This is the time when the conversation about constant care starts and it is not easy to discuss.

Nobody wakes up one day needing full time care. Most people get to that point one thing at a time rather than everything. Someone who is okay by themselves needs help with just a few things. Then it starts to become more regular until the gap between needing assistance becomes so small that a person is better off having someone with them all the time. Knowing what constant care looks like and when it is appropriate can help people decide about the future before they end up in crisis.

What Is Constant Care?

When people talk about care for seniors or people who cannot take care of themselves, constant care is when someone has care available for 24 hours. This does not mean that someone is physically there to help a person with everything that they need. It does mean that a person is in the vicinity to help respond to emergencies both big and small.

Constant care can look a little different in arrangements depending on what a person needs. Some people need physical help with everything, food, getting around and they cannot be left alone for long stretches of time without endangering their health. Other people need someone to be around just in case, they may only be in danger of wandering at night or having panic attacks that someone needs to soothe before they get too out of control. This can look a little different at night than it does during the day. Caregivers have to be up but respectful of nap times and people going to bed.

For families in the Philadelphia area dealing with these situations, this 24-Hour Home Care in Philadelphia service provides trained professionals who understand how to balance attentive support with respect for personal space and dignity. The goal is always maintaining the highest quality of life possible while keeping someone safe.

When It Is Clear That a Person Needs More Than Part Time Care

When caring for someone with cognitive difficulties, or even chronic illnesses, it takes a lot of observation to see when someone needs more than part time care.

It is always obvious when someone is in physical danger. People who have fallen multiple times (even without injury) have reached the point where they need more than just people available to assist in the regular hours during the day. Someone who becomes confused during the day should not be left alone at night either.

Some things to look out for include:

• Medication missing or taking medication more than once
• Forgetting meals
• Skipping meals - not due to lack of appetite but because food preparation has become too difficult)
• Lack of self-care - this does not happen because someone does not want to take care of themselves but rather they cannot bathe without assistance
• Wandering or disorientation (especially if it presents at the same times every day)
• Not recognizing where someone is
• Failing to be able to manage chronic care
• Failing to manage acute care that changes from moment to moment and requires monitoring
• Changes in cognition that need immediate attention

Chronic ailments that can benefit from round-the-clock care include heart disease and ailments of the lungs.

What Constant Care Requires Physically

Taking care of someone all the time is tiring. Families learn this quickly when they go from having someone only come in a few hours a day to having someone who requires assistance all day, every day.

Adult children think that it will be easy caring for their parents between their family and work commitments. Spouses drive themselves into the ground trying to stay awake all night to be there for their loved ones.

There are physical changes that happen throughout the day. In the morning, it takes the most time to get everything going. The person needing care often needs the most help bathing, changing and getting ready for the day.

Caregivers can also help with getting meals together or at least ensuring that people have access to what they need.

The adherence to medication does not correlate with caregiver availability either. People can forget to take their medications and caregivers can ensure that they get what they need.

At night, caregivers have to ensure that someone gets to the bathroom before they need a change of clothes or they end up falling all over the place trying to walk in the dark. If nothing happens through the night, caregivers always have the responsibility of being awake if someone needs something.

What Improves When One Has Constant Care

Once someone has constant care who did not have regular assistance, things improve. Caregivers notice that everyone sleeps better when they know that someone is there if they need something.

They also pay attention to daily patterns improving with someone getting the right amount of help. Meals can happen at the right time. Medications can be given at the right time.

Hygiene improves when someone needing assistance regularly has someone who can help them. These seemingly small things add up to overall improvements in health!

How To Make Transition Easy

If caregivers know what is required of them in their position and what it means to have care, everybody benefits and the transition goes smoothly.

It does take time to get into a new pattern after someone has entered your home and you need to feel comfortable in their presence.

Some people adjust faster than others but if it is planned, it can be an exciting time instead of drudgery.

Once the transition has happened most families say they wish they would have done this sooner. It has improved not only their loved ones but also their health. Constant care does not mean giving up independence. It means choosing health, happiness and safety over independence when it becomes unsafe