Many people do not know that in-home care can also include household management services.  Although personal healthcare is a primary concern, Home Care by Benchmark offers specialized household management for patients in Ontario who:

  • Are being discharged from the hospital or facility
  • Have a chronic illness
  • Are in need of respite care
  • Require end of life care

These services can include basic housekeeping duties, such as cleaning and doing laundry, as well as more personalized care such as accompanying patients to appoints and providing transportation for errands.  Household management is designed to provide day-to-day assistance with things that may seem basic, but which are crucial to living a comfortable life.  Oftentimes, these tasks are difficult to complete by themselves, especially if they are experiencing difficulty with mobility or any sort of physical pain.  

As stated before, in-home care doesn’t have to be a strict, regimented sort of assistance.  Instead, a quality personal care assistant should strive to do whatever they can to make the lives of their patients easier.  However, with that said, it should be noted that our employees may not spend more than 20% of their on-duty time on household chores unrelated to the care of the client.  This stipulation exists in order to ensure that our patients are getting the personal care that they need.  Without further ado, let’s look at some of the ways in which household management can be beneficial:  

HousekeepingPersonal Care Assistance in Ontario

Of course, the first thing that most people think of when they hear the term “household management” is someone who performs general housekeeping duties.  To an extent,  this is true.  However, a personal care assistant’s primary concern will always be the patient themself.  The next priority then, are the housekeeping duties which directly affect the patient.  For instance, it is extremely common for a personal care assistant to make a patient’s bed for them.  Although this may seem like a relatively simple task, it goes a long way with keeping the patient comfortable while reducing the risk of injury which comes along with the physical act of making a bed.  

An in-home care assistant may also take up laundry duties, for the sake of both cleanliness and comfort.  It is yet another activity which seems basic, but does require some physical exertion.  Household management seeks to reduce and eliminate any physical exertion that is unnecessary.  Therefore, since laundry is a regular, necessary duty, a personal care assistant should have no problem helping with it.   This guarantees that the patient is able to rest in clean clothes and a clean bed, without having to expend the physical effort these activities require.

Meal Preparation

Household management can also include preparing and serving a patient’s meals.  Of course, this is another necessity.  Clients who don’t receive in-home care, but who probably should, are always at risk of incident or injury in the kitchen.  There are so many hazards to keep track of that one can easily find themselves surprised by a dangerous situation.  While burns and other cooking injuries are fairly common, the possibility of a wet floor poses the biggest threat.  Most kitchen floors in Ontario are laminate, which is extraordinarily slippery when it is wet.  It is also not always easy to tell when laminate is wet.  That’s why, despite all of the precautions that one might take, slipping is always a risk in the kitchen.  Here is a video detailing some other common risks in the kitchen.  

In-home assistants providing household management can also clean dishes in addition to cooking and serving food.  This drastically reduces the risk of injury to the patient occurring in the kitchen.  Once again, these activities are crucial to a functioning home.  However, they require physical exertion and pose a risk for injury.  That’s why they are prioritized in household management.  The care of the patient always takes precedence over the care of the home.  In this case, household management duties affect the care of both.  

Care Outside the Home

Although it may sound ironic, in-home care may extend to activities outside of the home.  This is especially true in cases that pertain to the patient’s health.  For example, a personal care assistant may accompany a patient on a trip to their doctor’s office.  When an assistant is licensed and insured, they may even drive the patient to and from appointments.  Not only does this eliminate the need for the patient to drive themselves or figure out their own means of transportation, but it can also be beneficial for their treatment.  Most personal care assistants are with their patients for a majority of the time.  This means that they can accurately and objectively observe their health status including mobility, recovery,and more.  They can then provide an extra bit of input during their appointments, which can then lead to a more accurate and effective treatment.  

Personal care assistants may also drive patients to help them with their errands.  Whether it be picking up a prescribed medication from the pharmacy, or even shopping for groceries, it can always be beneficial to have someone else there.  If anything, this ensures that the patient isn’t left to complete their errands alone.  Instead, they are able to be with a companion throughout the day.  Not only does this reduce the risks of injury which occur when a patient is left to do things like load a car full of groceries by themselves, but it also serves to improve morale.  

Home Care by Benchmark is the leader in Ontario household management.  We pride ourselves on our experience, reliability, and personalized service.  We also offer the most competitive rates in the area.  Visit us at our website to schedule a free in-home assessment today!