Halloween..A top 5 reason our seniors stay at home!

October 31, 2019
Always There Home Care
Vanishing in Plain Sight. An Alzheimer's Story.
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What could be a more compelling reason for staying at home in your aging years than holidays like Halloween?

Those same neighborhood kids who you saw dressed as turtles and bunnies on their very first trip around the block with Mom and Dad are now dressed as lumberjacks and life sized disney princesses..and they still call you by Mr. or Mrs. and thank you for the candy.

Watching the world come to your doorstep and seeing ‘what’s trending’ in the wide world of characters, influencers and in the mainstream is literally on parade at this special time of year.

Our cherished home bound clients cite the holidays (including Halloween) as one of the top 5 reasons that they refuse to live in a facility.

The comforts of home are numerous. The subtle things that we miss when we are not part of the fabric of a community are often the elements we miss the most when we are removed from home.

Here are the 4 more of the reasons our seniors choose to stay at home in lieu of facility:

“How do you feel about staying here for 100 days?”

#10. “I’m surrounded by Sick People!” We have also heard 85 year olds tell us “I don’t want to be around old people!”. We’ve all heard stories about a loved one or friend who got sicker in the hospital or facility than they were when they went in. In the very least, it’s really a challenge to get well psychologically when the overwhelming majority of your peers are NOT well. It drags you down. It’s depressing. It’s alienating.

#9. “I don’t get to choose when I go home!”. For whatever reason, lately we have been seeing more and more accounts of people who have had particularly lengthy facility stays without having an explainable or realistic exit plan. They’ve done their therapy…they’ve tried, but since they didn’t show a certain level of improvement? They were made to wait and stay put. It seems like a penalizing time to be away from home when we are talking about ONE WEEK. Some of our seniors have experienced 80+ Day stays in facilities!! That’s nearly a quarter of a year!

#8. “I’d miss my spouse!” How are these lengthy rehabilitation stays not the exception but the norm? Go try this right now: Go tell your spouse “see you in 100 days” and just take off. What on EARTH would pass as an acceptable reason to be gone for such a long period of time from your family? Military service? Being cast on Survivor? Your own ABDUCTION? Think about what kind of things would fall apart in your world if you took this much time away? How about your psyche? There’s just not a lot of ways anyone can justify this amount of time away.

7. “I value my privacy!” There’s simply no privacy in facilities or rehab centers. You can’t choose to turn off other people’s alarms call buttons and you certainly can’t effectively hush their shouts or quiet their needs. You also can’t choose very much in a facility. You sure can’t choose your caregiver. You can’t choose the sex of your caregiver. You can’t choose when the lights come on, when your family can pop in or when you’d like your meals. While at home with Always There Home Care? We start with giving our clients the ability to choose. Our very motto: “Your Home. Your Rules. Our Care.” is a choice sandwich! Your Rules as the thick creamy center of that home baked cookie sandwich!

6. “My sweet little doggie!” My Mother raised 5 children on a shoe string budget and made the very best of our worlds. We NEVER ate out and enjoyed home cooked meals exclusively. Yes, they were often simple in nature, but they were nutritious and wholesome. These days? She’s a Dog-Mom. Like a lot of our senior clients, my Mother spoils those sweet doggies of hers ROTTEN! They eat Rotisserie chicken for starters. I didn’t even know what Rotisserie chicken was until I was in college! Does your senior loved one love their pooch? Does their world revolve around their dog or cat? Well? We do a LOT of pet care at Always There Home Care and we roll it right into the care plan. That’s right, Pet Care is INCLUDED in our affordable rates!

Stay tuned for our next article where we will discuss the top 5 reasons our seniors prefer to stay at home vs. living in a facility.

Ben Smith is the Founder, President and C.C.I.C. (Chief Caregiver In Charge) at Always There Home Care. Our company’s ongoing mission is to make life easier at home for seniors who prefer to stay at home forever. Call today to learn more and to get care started for your senior loved one.