Blog

There are several different types of senior care that can be provided at home, and these services may be offered by different providers, both public and private. Here are the main categories of care:

• Home nursing and home hospitalization services:

These services include all forms of medical care provided at home. They can range from basic support—such as a nurse visiting a few times per week to change bandages and monitor blood pressure—to more advanced care like full home hospitalization. This option is typically suited for individuals who are stable enough to recover at home but still require daily monitoring from a certified nurse or doctor. Medication management is also part of this category.

• Daily living assistance:

These services include non-medical support that helps seniors live more easily, safely, and comfortably at home. The type of assistance varies from person to person and can cover tasks such as getting dressed, bathing, and grooming. Nutrition support is also common, whether through help with meal preparation and cooking or programs like Meals on Wheels, which provide convenient and nutritious food options.

This category also includes emotional and cognitive support. A companion might engage in activities like reading aloud, playing games, or having meaningful conversations. They can also escort seniors to medical appointments or assist with errands, offering both practical help and social connection.

• Rehabilitation services:

Both occupational therapy and physiotherapy are key in helping seniors stay at home as long as possible. Physiotherapy is often used after an injury, but treatments are also beneficial to maintain mobility and strength, which helps reduce the risk of falls. Occupational therapy will provide tools to make the living environment easier to manage.

• Concierge and other services:

Seniors may also need help with everyday tasks like transportation, delivery services, or running errands. Many of the services they used during their more active years—such as snow removal, lawn maintenance, and housekeeping—can continue to support their independence and quality of life as they age.

Home care assistance is the broadest category of support a senior can receive. It includes anything non-medical—but that doesn’t make it any less important. Just because care isn’t medical doesn’t mean it can be provided by anyone. When hiring extra help, it’s essential to rely on qualified, trustworthy professionals.

Home help for seniors can be provided by a friend, a family member, hired help through a private company, or by a community or government organization.

How it works depends on the provider and the nature of the home help care services. Typically, the process starts with an initial evaluation to assess the senior’s needs. From there, a personalized care plan can be developed to determine who should provide support and how often it should be delivered.

Home help care services can cover a wide range of support. One senior might need help with household chores like laundry, cleaning, and decluttering. Another may benefit from companionship—someone to offer social interaction and emotional support. Others may require assistance with personal care such as toileting, grooming, bathing, and dressing. Meal preparation is also common and can take different forms, from using services like Meals on Wheels to having a nutritionist plan and prepare meals based on specific dietary needs.

Home health care focuses on meeting the medical needs of seniors in the comfort of their own home. It typically begins with a professional evaluation to assess the individual’s condition and determine the level of care required. Services may range from basic support—such as regular check-ins and home nursing services—to more advanced care like home hospitalization.

This type of care can also include palliative services, offering comfort and specialized support during end-of-life care.

When home hospitalization is needed, medical equipment such as a hospital bed or mobility aids may be required. Care providers can assist in coordinating these needs and guide families toward available resources, including government grants to help offset costs.

For many seniors, receiving home health care is a safer and more comfortable alternative to extended hospital stays or care in a nursing home. It allows for personalized treatment while reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections—and it’s often more affordable in the long run.

Live-in care for seniors means that someone is always living with them. For many seniors, this is the ideal solution, as it ensures extra security. If the person has an incident in the middle of the night, there won’t be any delay in receiving necessary assistance.

In-home help for seniors doesn’t have to be always provided by the same person. It can be provided by a family caregiver, but also by a private company. In the latter case, different persons would likely work in shifts, ensuring optimal quality care.

Having someone provide care 24/7 can be costly, but the price varies depending on the arrangement. In many cases, a combination of family caregivers and professional help offers a more flexible and affordable solution. For example, a family caregiver might move in to provide support overnight, while a nurse or professional caregiver comes during the day—allowing the family member to continue working or attend to other responsibilities. Ultimately, the best setup will depend on the senior’s specific care needs.

Help for seniors to stay in their homes comes from three main sources: family and loved ones, government or community care, and private organizations.

• Family caregivers

Family caregivers are vital, and even though they can’t provide extensive medical care, they are a cornerstone of aging at home. Each family is different but assessing if someone or a few people in the entourage of the loved one would be willing to provide some level of care is very important. There is some financial support offered by the government for caregivers, and there are available resources in terms of respite, training, and general support.

Apart from the cost-effectiveness of having a family caregiver, this specific type of support can be extremely reassuring for the loved one, as well as very rewarding for the caregiver. However, when taking on this role, the person must be able to recognize their limits and hire or look for any form of external help they may need.

There are situations where having a family caregiver is simply impossible. One shouldn’t have to feel guilty when choosing to use professional help to take care of their loved one. Sometimes, it’s the best solution for everyone.

• Community and Government Care

Community care and free services can be available through your CLSC or other local organizations. The CLSC is a good starting point, as they can evaluate the types of free services your loved one could have access to and direct you to local organizations as well.

The nature of the service and the availability can vary from one region to another. Medical care can be available with specializations like nursing care, occupational therapy, psychosocial care, physiotherapy, inhalation therapy, and nutrition.

There’s also a wide range of free services in terms of personal assistance. In this case, services will often be offered through a partnership with local organizations and sometimes private providers. Services generally concern daily activities like getting dressed, bathing, getting in and out of bed, etc.

Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization that is very useful. They offer affordable hot meals for seniors and people with restricted mobility.

As these services are always affordable and sometimes free, they’re an important part of aging at home. However, services may be limited in availability and how much they can be tailored to individual needs.

• Private Home Care

Home care help for seniors can also be provided by private businesses, which can offer an extensive range of services and customized plans. The best way to know all the details of such services is to contact the company directly. Make sure to do some research beforehand to ensure that you are choosing a trustworthy senior care provider.

Private home care can offer services from nursing care and hospitalization services at home to daily assistance and companionship. As every person is unique, being able to choose the exact type of service and the frequency can make a huge difference in terms of quality of life.

Remember that you can very well mix and match approaches. Choosing private care doesn’t mean you have to rely only on this type of service. For example, you can choose to have a nurse from the CLSC come once a week for monitoring, and have a companion hired through a private agency to support the senior three times a week. You could also have a family caregiver move into the home during the weekend. Also, remember that the care plan of a loved one will need to be adjusted over time as their needs change.

Home nursing services are key in helping with long-term care for seniors. Many people prefer staying at home for as long as possible, for reasons of comfort, familiarity and privacy. It also helps promote autonomy in elderly patients, even those with more complicated health issues.

Many seniors are quite autonomous but have medical needs that require some regular health care support. With home nursing services, people can stay at home instead of having to go to the hospital, the clinic, or move into a nursing home.

As a society this also has a positive effect. Since there are limited spaces in nursing homes - especially in the public system - seniors who can stay at home make room for those who truly need that level of care. The same goes for hospital stays - when people choose home hospitalization during recovery, they help free up hospital beds for others.

Senior care services encompass a wide range of options—from specialized nursing and rehabilitation to companionship and nutritional support. Because every individual has unique needs and preferences, creating a personalized care plan is essential. With the right mix of services, seniors can age at home safely, comfortably, and with dignity.