Aging is hard for both the aging individual, as well as their families. There often comes a point where a senior can no longer manage the basic activities of daily life without assistance, whether due to the physical symptoms of aging, or as a result of some sort of illness – like Alzheimer’s. When faced with the realization that your friend or family member may no longer be able to care for themselves, there are a number of options that you can consider in terms of their care. Seniors with difficulties caring for themselves most often need assistance with multiple different aspects of daily living – the most common options are an assisted living facility, retirement home or in-home care.
What are assisted living facilities and retirement homes?
Both assisted living facilities and retirement homes are places where the senior lives full-time and away from their home. Depending on need, these facilities offer a wide range of different care options. Most often, assisted living facilities are the best option for seniors who need some, but do not require significant level of care. Retirement homes are generally the choice made when seniors are too ill or frail to take care of themselves in any manner whatsoever.
Assisted living facilities often house seniors in apartments or condos and offer a variety of different services from transportation, cooking, cleaning and different entertainment and leisure activities that allow seniors to maintain an active, social and healthy life with a little extra assistance. Retirement homes are more institutional in nature and are staffed by trained nurses and doctors to provide advanced care for seniors with more complex needs. These facilities provide meals, cooking, cleaning, on-site health care (for minor issues), and on-site entertainment and leisure activities for seniors well enough to partake in them.
Between these two options, assisted living facilities are the most expensive as insurance is likely to cover at least part of the costs of retirement care, whereas assisted living might not be covered in any way under most insurance policies.
What is in-home care?
In-home care is care that is provided to seniors by certified and highly trained homecare providers, that allows them to have the level of care they need, while permitting them to stay in their homes. The range of services provided by most in-home caregivers is varied and dependent on the needs of the senior. The services can be as simple as shopping, cooking, cleaning and transportation, or as complex as 24/7 live-in health care.
Homecare services providers have the ability to provide personally tailored services for seniors with a one-on-one care plan that works best for their needs. In-home care providers can ensure that the senior lives in a safe and familiar environment by providing non-medical services such as: assisting with bathing, light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation and much more. They can also provide more complex medical services such as the administration of medication and other health-related needs.
Seniors will have a familiar health care provider visit them each time, allowing them to develop a trustworthy relationship with their caregiver. Homecare providers can provide an in-home assessment that will help to determine the seniors’ needs, as well as how they can provide solutions in order to give the senior the best care possible.
What are the benefits of in-home care?
Many seniors, when given a choice, would prefer to “age in place”, or live out their lives, despite the problems associated with aging, in their own homes. In-home care is a great choice for seniors that are active in their neighborhoods or communities, or those who are particularly attached to their homes. For more mobile seniors, this is often a more cost-effective choice than assisted living facilities, and allows the seniors to remain in their home.
Many seniors are distressed when forced to leave their homes and feel as if much of their control has been taken from them. By allowing them to stay in their homes, with their memories and familiar surroundings, many take to allowing caregivers to provide the care they need while maintaining their dignity and level of independence.
At Carefect, we strive to provide the highest quality homecare services for seniors in need of assistance to stay in their homes. We provide a free in-home assessment to identify potential in-home risks, as well as to identify the exact needs of seniors and their families. Our highly skilled caregivers provide the highest quality and are apprised to the exact needs of the senior before ever providing care so as to ensure the senior receives the highest quality care possible. Our options are affordable and range from part-time to live-in services to meet the widely varied needs of different individuals.
