Companionship

What is a Companion Caregiver? Elderly Companion Care Explained

Companion Caregivers

Companion caregivers are non-medical personnel that generally provide emotional support to seniors in their homes, hospice, assisted living centers, or nursing homes. Seniors who are requesting a companion caregiver's services are generally healthy and independent and just need help with minor tasks in and out of the house.

What is a Companion Caregiver?

As implied by the name, companion caregivers provide emotional support and camaraderie to senior citizens. Such a service can be critical, especially for someone who spends most of their time alone. In addition to companionship services, a companion caregiver may also perform tasks such as running errands, light housekeeping, accompanying seniors to their appointments, help with mailing out bills, encouraging exercise such as taking walks together, entertainment like playing games or going to the movies, help with preparing and cooking meals, and providing medication reminders.

Our Companion Care Services

24Hour Caregivers personnel provide a variety of companion services that can be customized to your loved one's unique situation. Companion care can include services as simple as having someone come and sit with your loved one for two hours a week to play a board game and help handle bills for the month. Or, maybe you'd like for someone to come three days a week for several hours a day to help your loved one run errands, go for walks, and help with meal preparation. The services offered by 24Hour Caregivers are somewhat custom and caregivers are available 24/7 to help support and enrich the lives of senior citizens.

Our companionship services include:

Sharing memories of the past and chronicling events in scrapbooks
Going for walks
Providing transportation to local stores and restaurants and enjoying those experiences together
Playing cards, board games and puzzles to keep the mind active
Going on special outings around the community

How Much Does Companion Care Cost?

In the United States, companion care services cost an average of $18.00/hour. In California, the cost averages between $19.00/hour to $25.00/hour, with the cost being higher around the major cities. The cost may be determined by services needed and weekly service hours. At 24Hour Caregivers, we can assist you with receiving an estimate on companionship near you.

Benefits of Companionship

Companionship care in many ways is helps keep seniors independent by assisting with the light day-to-day tasks. From their state of happiness to staying active, companionship itself is an extremely necessary component of senior care. Oftentimes, seniors are home alone and isolated from others. This isolation begins to impact their emotional and mental health and can reduce their quality of life. Companionship care provides assurance that your loved one is socializing with others, leaving their house to run errands, taking care of their personal hygiene, eating nutritious meals, and have someone checking in at scheduled times to promote safety and security. Additionally, companionship enables your loved one to maintain a sense of dignity without feeling like they are a burden to neighbors or family.

Types of Companion Care

There are two types of companion care services: in-home and live-in. Both services provide peace of mind through assurance that your loved one's physical, mental, and emotional needs are being met.

In-home Companion Care

In-home services are visits by caregivers that may only occur once a week or every day. These visits are perfect for more independent seniors who just need help with tasks or are looking for companionship.

Live-in Companion Care

Live-in companion care is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is for seniors who require more help around the house. 24/7 care allows for caregiver consistency and therefore promotes trust and security.

How to Select a Companion Care Service

As you speak to difference companion care companies, here are a few questions to help you in your selection:

What is the process for hiring your staff? Do you conduct background and drug tests?
Are there a minimum number of weekly hours required to obtain services?
Do you create a personalized care plan for all of your clients? How often is this plan updated?
What types of payments do you accept?
What services do you provide? What services are not provided?
How do you handle emergency/after hours calls?
Is your companion care company insured?

Elderly Companion Care

Companion care provides emotional, mental, and physical wellness for the elderly. Senior citizens often spend a lot of time alone. A companion caregiver promotes socialization and ensures that your loved one is getting the help they need to function at home independently.

Companion Care Professionals

Not all companion care companies are the same. When researching companion care professionals, view standards of that companion care agency. While there are others, a few standards may be as follows:

CPR certification
Minimum number of references as a caregiver
Minimum 3 years experience
National background check
In-person interviews with company representative
Comprehensive personality assessment
Training needed for certain disabilities and diseases

The companion care professionals at 24Hour Caregivers must undergo a strict recruitment process. Our dedicated and compassionate caregivers must obtain a yearly background check and complete a personality test prior to working with clients. We understand it can be uncomfortable to invite a stranger into your home to help care for your loved one, so we try to ensure the process is as easy, reliable and thorough as possible.
Finding Companion Care Near Me
Finding a quality companion caregiver can be difficult. You may find agency references through a hospital or doctor, browse online care directories, visit a local senior agency, or ask friends for their personal recommendations. In Los Angeles, visit 24hourcaregiver.com or give us a call to help you find the right companion caregiver for your loved one.