In the past, elderly people didn't have a choice but to stay in nursing homes when they could not support themselves anymore. Despite the good intentions behind nursing homes, they soon gained a bad reputation as a place to stay for the elderly. Many people dreaded to have to stay in a nursing home for many reasons. Some of these include loneliness, lack of freedom, and even lack of privacy. Yet the fact remains that there are many good nursing homes in existence today. However, many elderly people prefer not to leave the comfort of their own homes for a nursing home.

Fortunately for them, there is a very viable option called assisted living. In the most basic terms, assisted living is for people who need some help to go about their daily lives as normally as they can. In essence, assisted living is the bridge between independent living and a nursing home – it is basically having home care. In this home care set up, there is a specific person who will provide the assistance to the client. As such, we have one of the biggest advantages of in-home care – extremely personalized service.

On the other hand, it is important to note that people under assisted living set ups are expected to be able to do most of their daily activities – with some help. Home health care is not necessarily part of assisted living. In most cases, skilled health care is provided on need basis.

With more and more people looking for in-home care today, there are many providers of assisted living facilities. One of the best providers is Comfortkeepers.com. They are a group of people who are dedicated to providing high quality and personalized home care to seniors and anyone else who may need assistance in their daily lives. Though they only began in 1997, Comfortkeepers now have over 550 franchised offices in several countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

What can you expect from a Comfortkeeper? Some of their services include, but are not limited to, companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, errand services, medication reminders, grooming, laundry and linen washing, bathing, mobility assistance, toileting, feeding, and oral hygiene. Comfortkeepers can also assist their clients by taking them around town – for example, for a doctor's appointment. They can even facilitate communication with the rest of the family by reminding their clients. Whichever way you look at it, the Comfortkeepers are there to help their clients live a normal life as independently as they can – without having to give up the perks of living at home.

With the mission of providing the highest possible quality of life to their clients, Comfortkeepers make it their practice to treat their clients with the proper respect and dignity they deserve. They even go as far as to state that they treat each of their clients as if they were a member of their own family. For individuals who are looking for health care professionals to assist a family member through home care services, this mission statement is a godsend.