Nursing Homes, Assisted Livings and Homecare Part 1
There are many options out there, but finding the right facility that fits the needs of your situation can be challenging. The many types of facilities and centers can be overwhelming, that’s why we’ve broken them down and put together checklists,to help you find the place that is right for your needs.
The two most common facilities are nursing homes and assisted livings(granted, those are broad terms) but what’s the difference between the two? How do you know which one is the right choice?
While the goal of both is two offer care, the method and focus of the two are very different. Nursing homes have a strong focus on medical care, and often have medical assets assisted livings simply do not. Another major focus of nursing homes is personal care; assistance is offered for tasks such as bathing, grooming, dressing etc.
Nursing homes also function with security such as 24 hour supervision for both safety and medical needs and provides prepared meals and often transportation as well.
All this come at the price of independence, residents are given very little independence or privacy. Nursing homes work extremely well for residents in poor medical health or cognitive impairment. However, it can not be stressed enough how important it is to make sure they are at a point that they need such care, because it does come with a lack of independence and privacy that can be very hard to accept.
Assisted livings on the other hand place a strong emphasis on the residents freedom. While many of the amenities of a nursing home are often offered, residents may decline if they feel that they are self sufficient. They are not being watched or monitored nearly as closely, but many of the benefits such as physical or occupational therapy are usually not offered. It is always recommended to call the facility (nursing home or assisted living) in advanced to find out what services they offer.
There is clearly no one right answer to which is the right one. The key is to evaluate your loved one to determine which option is best for them. The 4 basic questions to answer are:
- How is their physical health
- Are they cognitively impaired?
- How independent are they?
- Do they need supervision for health or safety?
Once you have these questions answered, compare that to the benifits of each option to help determine which one work best for your loved one. Sometimes people start off in one and switch to another.
Find out more about your local option, some of the pros and cons of each, schedule an appointment with Senior Comfort Guide at info@seniorcomfortguide.com or give us a call at (216) 292-8485.
