What’s Boston senior home care?

For many seniors, in-home care is ideal as you get older and start slowing down. However, many retirees and older folks are under the impression that in-home care is always ultra-pricey and unobtainable unless you have a very fat retirement account to fall back on. Luckily, that’s not always the case! There are many great peer-to-peer and non-profit organizations out there to help you age your way, in the home you love.

Boston Senior Home Care is a private non-profit organization based in Massachusetts that connects seniors to home care services to help them age in place. Servicing the Beacon Hill, East and South Boston, Charlestown, the North and West Ends, and Dorchester Mattapan areas as part of the state’s Aging Services Access Point program, Boston Senior Home Care will help you connect with a wealth of home care programs you may be eligible for, as well as offering support, education, and respite services to caregivers. 

What is Boston Senior Home Care?

Based in Boston, Boston Senior Home Care (BSHC) is a private non-profit group. Established in 1974, they exist to help connect seniors like yourself, as well as those with disabilities and their families, with the resources and social services they need to live safe, independent lives in their homes. They also offer a wealth of caregiver support. They are affiliated with the well-known Massachusetts Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) program.

What Areas Does Boston Senior Home Care Work In?

Boston Senior Home Care currently services Beacon Hill, East and South Boston, Charlestown, the North and West Ends, and Dorchester Mattapan. As is common in a diverse area like Boston, they also offer assistance from different cultural backgrounds and in different languages to help smooth communication and help you access their programs more easily, in a way that’s comfortable for you.

Why Consider Home Care?

As we age, a range of daily tasks become harder to do by ourselves. Over time, this often sets seniors up for living in an unsafe, uncared-for environment that may be actively dangerous for them. This is because aspects like home and garden cleaning, basic maintenance, and other issues often fall by the wayside as we become less able.

Additionally, many seniors start to neglect key aspects of their self-care, due to a lack of physical ability- many seniors struggle to maintain their toes or attend to personal hygiene, as they can no longer bend and stretch easily. Cognitive decline and aspects like Alzheimer’s and dementia might make us forgetful, meaning medication isn’t taken and bills don’t get paid on time, placing seniors at severe risk.

Social isolation and cognitive decline can lead to problems like stoves being left on, risking more serious consequences, or the seniors not being able to make themselves nutritious meals or struggling to undertake other daily tasks. If the senior can no longer drive, then getting to the shops and enjoying time with friends, peers, and family falls by the wayside, increasing the negative mental impacts of social isolation even further.

Many seniors shy away from disclosing these issues to their loved ones. Perhaps they don’t want to be a burden, or they are scared they will be forced to leave their beloved home and move to a care facility if they admit to these struggles. Helping older folks age well, in their homes, while still meeting the basic needs they can no longer do independently, is why home care exists. It lends a helping hand so aging in place becomes a safe, nurturing environment instead of a miserable, risky daily struggle.

What Services Are Included in Home Care?

Home care services cover a wide range of basic tasks and situations seniors often struggle with by themselves. This includes assistance with personal grooming, medication management, basic shopping, transport to medical appointments, and meal preparation right through to companionship and light housekeeping.

The benefit of home care lies in its flexibility – you choose the level of assistance that matches your needs, allowing you to maintain your cherished routines and the familiarity of your home safely. Trained and empathetic caregivers bring not just expertise but also a genuine commitment to enhancing your quality of life. They are not out to put you in a home or take away your independence. Rather, they’re there to lend a helping hand when you can no longer keep up a great quality of life.

Whether you're recovering from an illness, managing a chronic condition, or simply seeking a helping hand, home care services create a nurturing environment where you can thrive. It's more than assistance. It's a partnership to ensure seniors like you can continue to enjoy the joys of home safely and with a great quality of life.

What is BSHC’s ‘Adult Family Care’ Program?

If you are a senior who can no longer live alone and are already on the MassHealth program, then Boston Senior Home Care’s Adult Family Care program might be of interest to you. Similar to their home care offerings, this program is designed to help elders with permanent caregivers like family better manage their shared living environment.

From getting help from nurses and case managers with in-home education and training, to help accessing social services and respite care, caregiver support groups, and even counseling, they will help you make the best of your situation.

Boston Senior Home Care will help Bostonian seniors access the in-home care programs they need to thrive, not merely survive. So, if you or a loved one are looking for Boston-focused support to age in place your way, reach out to them today.