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A Variety Of Care Options In Naples, FL
Our region is a beautiful area with a warmer climate that appeals to individuals of all ages. From boating and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy sunshine and water sports, to seniors who are done with cold, snowy weather and are ready for summer- and spring-like conditions year-round, Naples offers a great location for enjoying everything that life offers!
Many individuals have lived in the area for many years and enjoy the benefits of this region. They also enjoy living in the place they've called home for so many years.
While some seniors look forward to going to an assisted living (AL) community, many others would rather continue living in their own homes, where they are comfortable and where they've made wonderful memories.
For those individuals who wish to continue living in their own home, a number of senior care options exist. In todays blog, we want to focus on two options in particular: personal care and companion care.
The Benefits Of Aging In Place (In Your Own Home)
If you're a senior, a person with a disability, or a family member of a loved one who needs extra care, you may want a solution that's the least disruptive to everyone. Personal care or companion care can attend to the individuals needs without uprooting them from the home they know and love. They can continue to live in the comfort of their own home with assistance from compassionate caregivers who help with the essentials of daily life and provide companionship. Daily interaction with other people is vital at any age, and seniors are no exception.
In-home care can be especially beneficial for families who live apart, even several states away. Knowing that your loved one is being cared for compassionately can give you peace of mind if you cannot tend to their needs yourself.
It Can Save You Money
Many people are unprepared for the price tag that comes with being in an assisted living community. The fact of the matter is that the monthly cost of assisted living in a dedicated facility is high. For individuals who want to be frugal or who are unable to afford to live in such a community, a more economical solution is to stay at home and have an in-home caregiver come in for a few hours to help out with daily tasks.
A Sense Of Continuity
What's more, staying at the home that you know and love gives you a sense of continuity. You can keep going with your current lifestyle, in the comfort of your own home, surrounded by your prized possessions and the things that make you happy and serve you well, without having to downsize or deal with the significant disruption of a move.
About Personal Care
Now that we've talked about senior care options and covered some of the benefits of having professional care at home, lets go over what personal care is and what to expect from these services.
Personal care assistance provides valuable, targeted help with the activities of daily living (ADLs), enabling the individual to continue to live independently and safely in their own home. These services are provided by a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or a Home Health Aide (HHA).
Types Of Personal Care Services
One of the great things about home health care services in Naples, FL is that you can specify which services you want. You can also determine how many hours per day or per week the caregiver will stay in your home.
The types of services that are available include the following:

Washing and bathing, including getting into the tub or shower enclosure and cleaning any hard-to-reach spots
Dressing, such as helping with getting shirts over your head and handling challenges like zippers, buttons, and clasps
Grooming, including brushing teeth, combing hair, and shaving
Transferring in and out of a bed, chair, couch, or other furniture, as well as repositioning in bed, as needed
Mobility assistance, including help with walking using a cane, walker, crutches, wheelchair, or other assistive devices
Toileting, including sitting down or standing up from the commode, or incontinence care
Exercises, in particular, assistance with prescribed range of motion exercises
Light housekeeping, such as folding clothes out of the dryer or wiping down the table after meals, for example
Meal help, including with preparation or with feeding, as needed
Observation and notification, which means keeping an eye on the individual and notifying family members or the home care agency of any changes or concerns
Measuring vitals, including blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and respiration
Offering medication reminders and monitoring self-administration of medicines
Preparing any special diets the individual may need

Its important to note that not every individual needs everything on this list! Personal care services are tailored to the individual, with only the services that are needed included in the regimen. Before deciding on what care to deliver, the home care agency will carefully go over with you what's needed so that any gaps that exist are addressed and you get the level of care that's customized to fit your particular situation. This is an efficient system that gives you the right combination of care that you need and independence that you want.
About Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Home Health Aides (HHAs)
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA or Home Health Aide (HHA) may provide care to an individual in his or her home environment only if the person is under a Florida physicians care. A Certified Nursing Assistant or Home Health Aide shall be limited to helping a person with bathing/showering, dressing/undressing, toileting/incontinence care, grooming, eating, physical transfer, ambulation and those normal daily routines the patient could perform for himself or herself were he or she physically capable. A Certified Nursing Assistant or Home Health Aide may not provide medical or other health care services that require specialized training from a licensed health care professionals (LPN or RN).
More About Personal Care Services
In a previous section, weve listed what types of personal care services are available, and we emphasized that not every individual needs every service that a home health care agency offers. Know that personal care services are tailored to the clients needs, and the needs will differ from one person to the next, and from one geographical region to another.
For example, here in Naples, FL, a client wont need help putting on thick, heavy sweaters or big winter coats! The client may need help with buttoning a blouse, though, or lacing up comfortable walking shoes.
In addition, a Florida senior may need more showers due to our hot and humid climate than someone in a drier, cooler climate would need.
Its Not One Size Fits All
Home care services are designed to meet each client where they're at. Quite simply, as the clients, you and your family specify what personal care services are right for you. Typically, your physician also offers input that the agency takes into account. Its all about creating the best, safest, and most comfortable home environment for seniors to thrive in!
What About Companion Care?
Now that we've covered personal care services extensively, lets move into companion care.
What is senior companion care, and what does this type of care involve? Our companion, elder care services are designed to assist clients who are independent in their activities of daily living (ADLs) but still need some assistance with homemaking and companionship activities.
For example, a companion caregiver can play board games with an individual, sit with the client in the living room while watching a favorite television program or listening to the senior reminisce about places they've traveled to and fascinating life experiences they've had. Its all about keeping the senior company and raising their quality of life. The caregiver can also tend to simple tasks that can mean a lot to the client, such as making a cup of tea or bringing them a glass of juice to keep them hydrated and in a positive mood.
Types Of Companion Care Services
Its possible for there to be some overlap in terms of services covered by a personal care assistant or a companion caregiver. At Collier Home Care, all personal and companion care services are provided by Certified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides. In general, senior companion care involves the following types of tasks:

Errands, including shopping for groceries, picking up medicines at the pharmacy, mailing correspondence, or dropping off books at the library
Driving to appointments and social engagements; for example, this can include trips to the hair salon or attending community events
Meal preparation, everything from heating up leftovers to making fresh salads and other meals from scratch
Light housekeeping tasks, such as making beds, washing a few dishes after a meal, or sweeping up the enclosed patio
Laundry tasks, including taking clothes from the dryer and folding them
Attending medical appointments, which can include driving to and from the appointment or accompanying the client on a shuttle ride, as well as taking pertinent notes during the appointment to relay this info back to family members
Keeping the client company to raise spirits and combat loneliness, boredom, and depression
Joining the client in social activities, everything from participating in a favorite hobby to going to the movies

CNAs and HHAs
At Collier Home Care, we vet candidates extensively to make sure they have the right skills, temperament, and friendly personality to assist the seniors we serve.
Our at-home caregivers go through a very rigorous screening process to make sure we hire only the best. This process coincides with the guidelines that govern our license and are instituted by the Agency for Health Care Administration
We understand the importance of safety and dignity when it comes to taking care of individuals in their home, and we also understand the unique needs of seniors. We keep these points in mind when we hire individuals to serve as personal caregivers and companion care specialists through our agency.
More About Senior Companion Care Services
How can a senior benefit from companion care services? The answer is: In so many wonderful ways!
A person may be able to live independently enough to not require help with daily activities, but may need help with occasional driving, grocery shopping, pharmacy pick-up, and other life necessities. Or the individual may feel isolated and would benefit from a caring, responsible person to have around the house from time to time for conversation and company.
As always, when it comes to senior care, there are many options here in Naples, FL! Learn how Collier Home Care can assist with personal care and companion care services here in Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Estero and Fort Myers.
Assisting Our Senior Populations
Many people move away from other states and settle here in Florida because of our milder climate and warm winters. They're happy to get away from snow and bitter cold temperatures, but they may not have the communities they were accustomed to back home. It takes time to establish new bonds.
Collier Home Care understands that the seniors in our region, whether they've been here a long time and have established strong bonds or they're newcomers and are still developing new friendships, have specific needs and wants. Many want to remain in their homes, living as independently as possible for as long as possible. At the same time, they want to live in comfort and safety, with access to the assistance they need for daily living activities. We are here to meet the needs of our valuable senior community through reliable, high-quality in-home care services.
Special Attention To Unique Needs
What's more, our caregivers are skilled at working with different needs and specific conditions. These include:

Post-stroke care
Parkinson's
Alzheimer's and dementia
Post-surgery care
Diabetes management
Hospice care
Special assistance for other conditions

The skilled caregivers Collier Home Care sends to our clients residences for personal or companion care services are trained in working with these and other conditions.
If You Have Any Questions
We understand that its not always easy to decipher the different senior care options available to you and your loved ones here in the greater Naples, FL region. Thats why we invite you to reach out to us with any questions you may have! We will do our utmost to answer them in order to empower you to make the decision that's right for you. Contact Collier Home Care in Naples, FL to learn more.