Home care for disabled adults

2024-09-30
Reading time: 7 min.

Caring for elderly or disabled adults

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Home Care for Disabled Adults

Taking care of a disabled adult can be highly gratifying or very demanding, depending on the day. As an informal caregiver, providing in-home care for a loved one with a physical disability requires patience, compassion, and a deep understanding of their needs. Are you currently assisting a disabled spouse, relative, or friend? Read on to learn more about home care for disabled adults essentials, including tips on how to manage your caregiving routine more efficiently.

Home care for disabled adults

Home Care for Disabled Adults: Key Facts and Figures

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 13% of Americans, or over 42 million people, have a documented physical disability.¹ The most common types of physical disabilities include mobility impairments, such as difficulty walking or climbing stairs; dexterity impairments, such as limited hand or arm function; and sensory impairments, such as vision or hearing loss.

Physical disabilities can range from mild to severe and may result from various factors, including congenital conditions, accidents, or age-related conditions. Many disabled adults struggle to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing, bathing, and preparing meals, without assistance.² When not managed properly, these daily living challenges can significantly impact their independence and quality of life.

Increased Independence for Disabled Adults

See How VELA Can Help

Sources of In-Home Care for Disabled Adults

Once they decide to start in-home care, disabled adults have two main options: professional home care and informal caregivers. Let’s explore each option in more detail:

Professional Home Care
Trained caregivers, including certified nursing assistants and licensed personal care aides, deliver these nonmedical services to assist disabled clients with daily tasks and offer them emotional support. Depending on the provider, services can range from light housework, hygiene assistance, and companionship to medication supervision, meal preparation, and feeding assistance.

While hiring a professional caregiver can be costly³ for families, doing so ensures their disabled loved one is receiving top-notch care and support from highly qualified professionals.

Informal Caregivers
Conversely, informal caregivers, such as spouses, family members, or friends, often care for disabled loved ones out of compassion and a sense of responsibility. While being an informal caregiver can be emotionally fulfilling, it can also be physically, mentally, and financially demanding—especially when the individual is balancing caregiving duties with work, managing a household, and other obligations.⁴

Sadly, and for one reason or another, many disabled adults lack access to a support network that may include informal and professional caregivers. As a result, some are forced to move from their homes into an institutional care setting for the remainder of their adult lives.

Stay Independence at Home with VELA

Introducing the VELA Chair: An Innovative In-Home Care Disabled Adults Solution

As a versatile seating solution, a VELA Chair is designed to provide optimal support and

comfort for physically disabled adults while performing tasks at home. These features and benefits make the innovative VELA Chair a valuable in-home aid for informal caregivers and disabled loved ones alike:

Ease of Mobility

Surprisingly lightweight, a VELA Chair is equipped with four smooth-running wheels that allow effortless movement and maneuverability across most surfaces. This feature gives a disabled adult the freedom to move around the home effortlessly. Additionally, the chair’s sleek profile ensures it can easily navigate through doorways and tight spaces, allowing a user to seamlessly transition from one activity to another.

Electric Lift Feature

One of the VELA Chair’s standout features is an electric lift, which allows the disabled adult to easily adjust the chair’s height at the touch of a button. This built-in feature is notably handy for reaching surfaces high and low, transferring from one surface to another, and minimizing strain on the disabled individual’s body, allowing them to conserve precious energy without worrying about falling.

Ergonomic Support

Ideal for disabled adults of all ages, every VELA Chair is designed with user comfort and well-being in mind. Its ergonomic features, including a padded backrest and armrests, provide optimal support for the body, minimizing stress on achy muscles and joints. As an added benefit, a VELA Chair promotes proper posture and breathing, ensuring the disabled adult can sit comfortably for extended periods, for example, while eating at a table, tasking away in the kitchen, or watching TV.

Robust Construction

Every VELA Chair is carefully constructed upon a sturdy frame and a stable base that locks securely in place once the brake is activated. The chair’s easy-care upholstery provides maximum comfort and durability, making it suitable for everyday use. The chair’s additional creature comforts, including its padded armrests and backrest, ensure that every disabled user can customize the chair to meet their comfort needs.

A Cost-Effective Home Care Solution

Available on-demand, the VELA Chair is a cost-effective solution for disabled adults who require around-the-clock assistance performing daily tasks inside the home. In addition to having more time for self-care, informal caregivers can reduce their caregiving workloads and out-of-pocket expenses by getting their disabled loved one a VELA Chair.

In the end, using a VELA Chair to perform routine activities independently empowers disabled adults and their families, significantly minimizing or eliminating the need for outside assistance and saving on caregiving costs!

See the VELA Independence Chair Here

Sources

1 8 facts about Americans with disabilities

2 What Are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?

3 Cost of Care Survey

4 Caregiving for Family and Friends — A Public Health Issue