Find Hope at Home: Your Guide to Home Care for Depression

Children always seem to be excited about growing up. They want to drive when they’re 12 years old. However, as adults become older, the future becomes scary. Physical challenges and health challenges can dim a person’s attitude, and they can trigger depression too.

That’s why it is important to have home care professionals who know how to help someone with depression. They play a crucial role in helping patients manage depression and improving their quality of life.

Understanding Depression

Many people feel sad at times. It’s normal. But after a few weeks, these feelings usually pass. Major depression (clinical depression) is different. It’s a mental health condition that lasts at least two weeks and it usually lasts much longer than a month.

Symptoms of depression can impact daily activities such as sleeping, eating, and working. They have a loss of interest in hobbies that previously brought them joy. They have feelings of worthlessness and in serious cases, they may believe there is no reason for them to live.

What Is Home Health Care?

Home care services have become a vital part of helping care for depression, especially with the elderly population. The elderly often experience isolation, diminishing health, and limited mobility which can worsen a person’s moods and cause depression.

In many instances, family members and friends are not able to be with the loved one, who has depression, because of work, taking care of the children, and other day-to-day activities that need their attention.

Home health care services assist these families by providing the care that oftentimes families and friends aren’t able to provide on a consistent basis. The care provided is custom-tailored to address the specific need of the patient.

Now, there are a variety of home health care professionals who can provide care for a patient. The certification the person receives is the main difference between each type.

There are personal care assistants, or PCAs, who can help with the patient’s personal care, meal preparation, transportation, and companionship. An individual must meet the state’s Medicaid waiver program in order to become a PCA.

Certified Nursing Assitants (CNA) are another group that can provide direct care to patients. CNAs receive state-specific training and are certified in the state in which they work, to provide vital services to patients.

As a CNA, their support varies. They can provide physical support to help the patient perform routine activities, such as getting out of bed, taking baths, getting dressed, walking or exercising. They can move patients who are bedridden into different patients. They record vital signs and document a person’s daily food intake. They can also assist with medical management.

Home health aides are trained to assist with personal care and medical assistance. They can monitor vital signs, help with medication, aid in simple dress changes, and assist with physical therapy exercises. They work under the supervision of a registered nurse.

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPAs), have more training than home health aides and concentrate more on medical assistance rather than personal care. They take vital signs, help with medication management, place catheters, dress wounds, and perform any other healthcare instructions outlined by the nurse, physician, or other care team members.

Something New: Telehealth

There are not many psychiatrists and psychologists these days who make in-house visits. They are usually too busy to stop by their patients’ houses. However, the Internet has made it easier for these mental health professionals to reach patients through telehealth.

According to the Health Resources & Services Administration, telehealth is “the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, health administration, and public health.” The pandemic was a horrific experience for the world, but it also popularized telehealth.

Many people used platforms like Zoom (but are made private by law) to connect with their therapists.

Ways to Improve Depression In the Home

There are a number of methods home caregivers can use to help alleviate depression with their patients. These include:

Encouraging medical treatment: Patients, especially those who have major depression, can’t overcome depression alone. Therefore, home caregivers should recommend the patient seek professional help.
Foster social connections: Good health care professionals do more than just provide patients with medication. They should find ways to actively involve the patient’s family and friends in social engagements, whether it be having dinner with the family or a movie night with friends. Being surrounded by loved ones makes the patient feel supported. These social activities are an important part of treatments for depression.
Support daily routines: Caregivers should also assist the patient in establishing a daily routine. Having a routine means the patient can find time to schedule activities that give them pleasure. This can help patients look forward to events and start to take more of an interest in day-to-day life.
Promote healthy lifestyles: Caregiving professionals can also foster an atmosphere geared toward promoting a healthier lifestyle. This could include scheduling physical activity, so the patient can get more exercise, or the caregiver can prepare healthier meals. These lifestyle changes will not only promote the client’s overall well-being, but they can also help prevent the onset of depression.
Monitor Mood Changes: Being aware of mood swings can also help prevent depression. Well-trained caregivers can recognize the signs of depression in a patient, and can start conducting timely interventions to ensure the patients receive the needed support to stop the depression from occurring or worsening the depression.
Stick to the Care Plan: Many mental health experts create care plan for depression to help their patients, who are diagnosed with depression. It’s a way to help the patient navigate depression. A part of the health plan includes outlining goals the patient wants to achieve. The best home care givers read the plan and try to help their patients reach some of those goals.

What to Look for When Choosing an Agency

It’s important to make sure you choose the right home care health service that fits the patient and his or her family. Choosing the wrong one can detrimentally hurt the patient – especially if the service does not have the right qualifications. Here are a few of the factors to consider when choosing the agency:

Qualifications and Accreditation of the Service: Make sure the health provider is licensed and certified by the state health departments, state licensing boards, and other relevant government bodies.
Services Offered: Make sure the agency is offering the services your loved one needs. People don’t want to have a mishap occur where they need home services dealing with mental health care but instead, they accidentally hire services for physical therapy. Make sure to speak with the customer care representatives.
Caregiver Qualifications: Clients need to make sure the services they hired have all the qualifications. You don’t want someone who isn’t a trained expert or hasn’t had the previous experience needed to work with patients.
Client Reviews and Testimonials: Check out the reviews and testimonials the agency has received. Good reviews are indicators that the agency cares about their patients and wants to make sure the patient is in the best of hands.

Home health care is a lifeline for individuals struggling with depression. The best ones are those that offer the most professional and compassionate support. They are the ones who make sure their patients feel the most safe at home.

Whether it’s help with medication management, therapy, or simply daily tasks that feel overwhelming, in-home services bridge the gap between clinical care and real-life needs.