We have an aging population in the United States. The odds are that most people reading this are either in need of finding elder care or they will be soon. It is important to look out for your future or the future of your loved one as soon as possible. Not making your future a priority will make it more difficult when the time comes to find home care options.
If you decide to place your loved one under the hands of senior care help, you have three options. These three options are placing them in a nursing home, a family member can become a senior helper, or hire in-home care. Here is a closer look into your three available options that may work for you.
Nursing Home/Assisted Living Facility
The most common path taken is placing your loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility. These two places are similar, but they are not entirely the same. Although, they both are a very big change in the life of a senior. Nursing homes are the most usual and traditional choice. With this option there is care available for you loved one twenty-four hours a day by the senior helpers. The conditions are very similar to a hospital.
Generally, the senior has a room with their own bed and receive visitors during certain hours of the day. Assisted living facilities offer better amenities. In this case the senior has more freedom to come and go as they please as if it were their own home. In both cases, your loved one will receive around the clock attention.
Also, there will always be a medical professional close by if they need emergency treatment. The senior helpers will make sure to give your elderly one the care they need and deserve. The drawback with this option is of course with the senior’s adaptability to the circumstances. It may be unfamiliar to them to be in a facility and not with loved ones.
Also, these places may give a sense of finality about their situation. Sometimes the elderly will feel that they are in a worse situation being in a facility. Another major concern is the expense of housing your elderly loved one in such a facility. These costs may be very high and you may require financial assistance.
DIY Elderly Caregiver
The least expensive route is for you or a family member to become a senior helper for your loved one. The main question to ponder is are you qualified enough to tend to your loved ones specific needs? Taking care of someone’s every need is not as easy as it may seem. It requires much time and effort.
Secondly, does this qualified member have the amount of time it takes to put into caring for your loved one? If you or your family member can answer yes to either of these questions, then this is most likely your best plan of action. One word of caution though – family members tend to become burned out after caring for their loved ones so thoroughly.
The care giving process has also been known to put a strain on the family relationships at times. For this reason, eve if you choose the DIY care route it may want to consider still hiring a professional. A part-time in-home caregiver will relieve some of the burdens you will be carrying.
In-Home Care
The senior care option that is growing most in popularity in recent years is hiring an in-home senior helper. There are several advantages to going this route. They include:
Flexibility – Treatment plans can be customized around the specifics of the patient.
Better Quality of Life – Aging senior prefer to remain at home. In this way they are more familiar and comfortable with their surroundings at such a time.
Affordability – Because the care is administered at home, there is no overhead needed for the expense of maintaining a medical facility. This allows the in-home caregivers to pass the savings along to you. Though not as cheap as DIY senior care, at home administered by a professional is far more affordable than a nursing home or assisted living facility.
