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Senior Homecare

What's The Difference Between Compassionate Care And Senior Care?

SonderCare Learning Center

What’s The Difference Between Compassionate Care And Senior Care? As we age, different levels of health and personal care can be necessary. Two types of these are compassionate care and senior care. Are there differences between the two? There are several major differences between compassionate care and senior care, and for the sake of the people being cared for, the two terms should not be used interchangeably.

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Explore compassionate care and senior care

What Is Compassionate Care?

Compassionate care is medical and emotional care for patients with terminal diseases and may include hospice care. These services can be for a person of any age who requires end-of-life care. 

It’s sometimes referred to as palliative care or respite care. The services are a specialized form of healthcare, and the goal is to provide the person living with the terminal illness with comfort, dignity, and the best quality of life. It can include all these aspects for the patient’s family, too.

Compassionate care can also be provided in the home by licensed clinical professionals. Hospice agencies can meet the patient in their home, though this level of care can also be found in retirement or assisted living facilities.

What Actually Is Senior Care?

A common concern for caregivers and loved ones is whether or not they will be able to look after their loved ones in the best way possible. It’s a hallmark not just of compassionate care but senior care as well. It is another specialized form of care for meeting the needs and requirements of seniors at various stages of their lives.

Unlike compassionate care, senior care isn’t necessary; some seniors may never need help to live independently. Senior care is a spectrum that can encompass companionship, personal care, and medical services. The type of senior care that is right for your loved one largely depends on their health conditions or mobility impairments, the severity of these conditions, and the deficiencies they can experience because of them.

The need for senior care can happen over time or – quite literally – overnight. For example, if a senior loved one is recovering from a broken hip or had a stroke, they may need services upon being discharged from the hospital. On the other hand, if you notice that their cognitive or physical health is slowly degrading, their care may start for small needs and become more involved as their condition becomes worse.

Benefits Of Compassionate Care

Compassionate care can help those with terminal diseases manage pain and symptoms to give the best quality of life possible. A life-limiting illness can be painful, and families should try and relieve it with the help of health care providers. Together, they can work with the patients to find out the causes of the pain and the best ways to manage and relieve them.

Depending on the illness, the patient may also experience a variety of symptoms that limits their abilities. Compassionate care can help relieve symptoms that may be causing someone physical or emotional distress and provide them with the knowledge and understanding necessary to go into their treatment.

Compassionate care also recognizes how essential a person’s physical and mental health is in these medical situations. The approach caregivers take should emphasize the need to provide support to both the individual and their family.

Benefits Of Senior Care

Senior care often becomes necessary when a loved one begins experiencing difficulty with activities of daily living, both safely and independently. The activities can include meal preparation, house cleaning, dressing, bathing, driving for errands or appointments, and taking their medications.

The benefit of senior care is that it doesn’t always require long-term care or the help of a nurse practitioner. One can reach many of their care goals by modifying the home or routine and having a detailed care plan. Once the modifications meet their needs, the seniors can continue living their lives in their homes or a retirement facility in comfort.

Senior care should become a discussion as soon as you or your elderly loved one notices changes. Postponing or delaying assistance could put their well-being and safety in jeopardy, but even so, they can be resistant to change. Never make decisions related to senior care without the input of the person receiving the services.

Frequently Asked Questions About Compassionate Care & Senior Care

Caring is founded on compassion: comprehending what is essential to the other person, understanding what the other person is going through, and behaving selflessly to alleviate suffering.

What’s the distinction between compassion and care?
Is there a distinction between caring and genuine compassion? Caring for someone else is an act of showing kindness and care for others. Compassion entails sharing the other’s feelings in order to gain an understanding and compassion for how they feel.

Cleaning, food shopping, cooking, prescription management, and assistance with medical visits are some of the responsibilities of an elderly caretaker. However, caregiver obligations will ultimately be determined by the person under care’s condition and requirements.

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