When you look at your mom, you see the woman who taught you how to bake your first cake, and tie your shoes, and even rake the yard. Decades later, she’s not what she used to be physically. So, how exactly should you go about caring for her?
In some cases, assisted living is the best choice for an older one who needs extra care that you physically can’t give. Meanwhile, in-home care is the best move in other situations.
If you’re caring for a loved one, it can be difficult to make a decision about assisted living vs home care. Fortunately, we’ve come up with a guide for choosing which option is right for your family member.
Deciding About Assisted Living vs. Home Care
Before you decide on assisted living vs care at home, it’s paramount that you assess your family member’s needs. Then, you can determine which care option would work best for their situation.
First, write down all of the activities that your family member needs help with each day, week, and month. This information will help you to determine how much care they truly need going forward.
Also, figure out how much you and other family members or friends may be able to help your family member long term. Next, consider the benefits and challenges associated with both types of care, which we’ll go over below.
A Look at Assisted Living
Assisted living can be a wonderful choice if your parent needs around-the-clock care. In this situation, rather than trying to meet your loved one’s many needs, you can simply focus on maintaining your relationship with them.
Another pro of assisted living is that your family member can socialize with other people. In addition, if your loved one needs more care, the amount of care they receive can readily be increased.
Still, a challenge with assisted living is that staff changes may result in inconsistent 1:1 care in some facilities. In addition, some older individuals don’t like living in group environments.
A Look at Home Care
A major benefit of home care is that your loved one can stay at home as they age. In addition, they have more control over who cares for them.
Of course, home care can be more costly if your loved one needs care around the clock. In addition, staying at home may cause some older individuals to feel socially isolated, which might lead to cognitive decline.
How We Can Help
In addition to going over the benefits and challenges associated with assisted living vs home care, we offer a wide range of tips and information concerning health care. For example, you can learn about how to prevent back pain as well as how to keep your heart healthy.
Take a peek here to find out more about how you can enhance your own health as well as improve a loved one’s health in the days, months, and years ahead.