Home Healthcare Comes of Age.

Over the decades the social and cultural fabric of Europe has undergone colossal change leading to a major transformation in the way senior family members cared traditionally. The break-up of extended families and rampant urbanization created a huge gap in the care for the elderly and the disabled or those with chronic diseases.

As older people become more care-dependent but do not need hospitalization, the only viable solution seems to be home care services. The effectiveness of home care services cannot be denied as the benefits are aplenty. Being at home, or in familiar surroundings and in their communities give comfort to the elderly and they remain healthier than they would have in a care center. Besides, they also have a feeling of security and independence staying in their own homes. Individualized care at home promotes quick healing than in regulated environments of healthcare or nursing establishments.

Life expectancy has increased resulting in a rise in the number of old people, lifestyle diseases, noncommunicable diseases, difficulty in mobility, people with mental disorders, or the ones who need companionship and assistance in daily chores.

There has been a whopping rise in the elderly population in the European Union and this is expected to rise exponentially. Nearly 20 percent of the European population is above 65 years of age. From around 90.5 million couple of years ago, it is expected to touch the 130 marks by 2050. With children flying away to different parts of the country, and the globe, home care services become more imperative. Add to it the low birth rates and rising cases of infertility.

Home care provides a huge range of services to assist and care for those who do not need treatment in the hospitals. It could be non-medical personal care, nursing care, home health care. It could include meal preparation, caring for the sick or even healthy senior citizens who live alone, medication reminders, running errands, care during illness, serious injury, progressive diseases like Alzheimer’s, Dementia, even for companionship or palliative care, assistance for daily activities like bathing, dressing, cooking, feeding, transportation, visits to banks or the doctor, supporting the client or patient by doing the laundry and housekeeping, or even shopping.

These services are not restricted to senior citizens but expand to all age groups including children or young adults who need care. Service providers are in huge demand for hospice or palliative care for adults and children with serious illness, from in-home to community-based services.

With technological advancements, it has become easier for health care service providers to coordinate and monitor their clients. Home health care providers are doing exceptionally well in their jobs and their demands are multiplying by the day.

We bring to the spotlight a few such exemplary home care services in Europe that have caught the attention of the world, in our latest edition of Insights Care – Europe’s 10 Most Trusted Home Care Providers 2021.

Have a great read!