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Home Care Services Experts Breakdown Life Enrichment vs Personal Care

personal care and life enrichment

Entering into the world of home care can be confusing. There are so many services that senior home care providers offer. Understanding the differences between services can become a gray area. What services should you ask for? How can different services benefit you or a loved one? At Fedelta, we want to demystify home care options. 

That’s why Fedelta’s home care services Seattle team has put together this easy to understand guide that breaks down the differences between companion/life enrichment services (sometimes referred to as life enrichment) and personal care services. Here’s everything you need to know, so you can ask the most useful questions once you’ve set up a meeting with our care management team. 

What Is Life Enrichment?

Life enrichment, also known as companion care, is a service for seniors who could benefit from having a helping hand. Seniors who utilize life enrichment care are mostly self-sufficient. If your senior no longer feels comfortable driving, and could use a ride to and from an activity center, companion care would be an excellent fit. 

Companion care is also great for helping with light household chores that may be a little overwhelming for seniors. Life enrichment services can greatly benefit seniors’ mental health by combating loneliness too.

An in-home care expert may determine that your loved one could benefit from life enrichment services. See some of Fedelta’s offering below:

  • Friendly conversation
  • Social activities
  • Hobbies, games and puzzles
  • Neighborhood walks
  • Transportation for errands or appointments
  • Visiting with friends and relatives
  • Light housekeeping and laundry
  • Pet care
  • Grocery and household shopping
  • Meal planning, preparation, cleanup
  • Medication reminders
  • Safety checks

As you can see, life enrichment is about bolstering your loved one’s quality of life and providing your loved one access to enjoyable activities, like spending time with pets, that they may not feel comfortable doing alone. 

What Is Personal Care?

Home care services teams like Fedelta find that personal care services can be very complimentary to enrichment care. In terms of senior home care, personal care is often offered to seniors with more specific care needs. Depending on your loved one’s needs, personal care services may fall partly under the category of In-Home Nursing Services. 

Home care services Seattle experts may determine that your loved one qualifies for personal care if your loved one could benefit from the following services: 

  • Medication reminders
  • Toileting, incontinence care
  • Bathing, grooming, dressing
  • Transfers to toilet, bath, bed, and/or car
  • Fall prevention
  • Nurse delegation
  • Prescribed exercise programs

Unlike life enrichment care, personal care is more focused on the physical health needs of your loved one. A major difference between enrichment care and personal care? All enrichment care activities can be conducted by a caregiver, whereas some personal care activities require a nurse. For example, nurse delegation and prescribed exercise programs are best served using a licensed nurse.

How Are Enrichment Care And Personal Care Similar?

There’s some overlap in benefits to both types of care. Both improve the quality of senior’s lives. Both types of care also allow seniors to stay in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible. Finally, home care services experts have found that enrichment care and personal care can both take some of the stress and responsibility off of caregiving family members, which can foster healthier familial relationships.

If you’re still uncertain whether your loved one could benefit more from enrichment care or personal care, Fedelta’s Home care services Seattle team will be able to help. After a free in-home assessment, we’ll recommend one of these services based on your family’s wants and needs. Our team cares about creating a customized care plan that will meet your family’s unique needs. 

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