What The Pandemic Taught Us About Senior Care Services

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What the Pandemic Taught Us About Senior Care Services in Phoenix, AZ 

By Brent Owens

Just like everyone else, at All Valley Premier Private Care & Home Health Care we’ve seen the world change drastically since March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted everything we considered normal—but few industries more than senior care services.

As things open back up, we decided that writing a blog about our experiences and plans for the future falls in line with our mission of Raising the Level of Care. We understand that one of the strongest tools in the pursuit of comfortable, quality care for our loved ones is information. 

We want to be not only your resource for in-home senior care services in Phoenix, AZ area but also a source of information and insight that will help you no matter your needs.

Our first entry concerns the broad strokes: the pandemic and how deeply it impacted the senior care services industry. We obviously can’t cover everything in a few hundred words, but we can highlight some of the fallout from our national reaction to a contagious pandemic.

The Pandemic

The American Association of Retired Persons reported that 95% of COVID-19 fatalities during the worst parts of the pandemic were among those over the age of 50. That’s not a coincidence; that was simply the nature of this pandemic. The respiratory complications caused by the disease were especially threatening to older generations with underlying conditions.

Phoenix, AZ and Maricopa county overall suffered over 10,000 fatalities according to the most current New York Times statistics. In order to curb the infection trends at the time and prevent future spikes, we all had to come together and change how the system worked.

Its Impact on Senior Care Services in Phoenix, AZ

The first changes to hit were the lockdowns, and these impacted nursing homes and long-term care facilities the most. Suddenly people couldn’t see their loved ones, and senior service centers ramped up their security and sanitization protocols. But as the CDC notes in their recommendations, it was the communal nature of these facilities that raised the risk the most.

This highlights a big issue of transmission: as soon as one carrier enters a facility, it’s difficult to stop the spread.

These nursing homes did their best to observe social distancing practices, but in the end it was the very structure of their buildings that hampered these efforts—which is why many people found in-home care a better solution for providing senior care services to their loved ones.

In-Home Senior Care Services Versus Nursing Home Care

We’re not out of the woods yet. Even as the vaccines continue to roll out, there are still at-risk individuals. One of the strongest options for moving forward post-COVID-19 is to encourage in-home senior care. 

This allows for much of the same care as well as a few added benefits:

  • A customized care routine

  • Care in the comfort of their own home

  • Care away from cramped, communal spaces

  • Options for you to take care of them yourself (and even get paid doing it!)

This way, if you have a loved one in need of senior care services in Phoenix, AZ, you can make sure they get the care and comfort they deserve without putting them up in an environment that facilitates high transmission. 

When you invest in the many senior care services provided by All Valley Premier Private Care & Health Care, you not only invest in the senior care of your loved one, you also partner with an organization that cares at all levels. That’s why we focus on providing both training and personal protective equipment in order to keep our CAREgivers safe—so they can keep you and your loved one safe.

The Future

We hope that this initial post helps illuminate a few of the challenges the senior care services industry continues to face and the many solutions we’re all trying. The point of it all is to raise the level of care for the people we love. If you have any questions about how we can help care for your loved one, schedule a consultation today. And if you’re interested in joining our mission of Raising the Level of Care on our team of CAREgivers, please apply here. 

Keep an eye out for our next blog where we’ll be talking about our program to help family members get paid for the care they provide loved ones.


Brent Owens