In-Home Care or Assisted Living?


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Updated: June 6, 2022

elderly in home or active living care?

Weigh all of your options when deciding on your home living situation.

When to consider assisted living is a topic on most of the minds of children with aging loved ones. If you have an aging relative, you have likely already come to terms with the fact that they may not always be able to fully take care of themselves on their own.  When that time arrives, and you are faced with a choice between in-home care or assisted living, how do you know which is the best option for your loved one?  Read on to learn more about them.

 

The first option you may consider is in-home care.  With this, you will hire someone to come into your loved one’s home, on a regular basis, to assist them with housekeeping, errands, medications, and more.  This type of care has several benefits, and here are a few:

  1. It allows your senior relative to continue to live in the comfort of the home they know and love
  2. It affords them control of their schedule and routine
  3. It allows them to continue to live somewhat independently

On the other hand, some seniors are not interested in having strangers in their home, and the hours in which an in-come care specialist provide support are limited.  Furthermore, in-home care can be quite expensive to some, at an average of $15 per hour. You will also need to factor in Life Alert cost to have the peace of mind of having a medical alert device.

Another option for your loved one is assisted living.  This is ideal for seniors who need assistance with daily tasks, but do not have medical assistance needs.  An assisted living community generally has buildings with individual and shared rooms, with community spaces and options for group recreation and socialization.  They usually offer nutritional and fitness support options as well.

These communities typically provide meals, transportation, laundry, housekeeping, and basic healthcare services.   Assisted living communities have the added benefit of providing 24 hour supervision and support for your loved one.  However, you may find that seniors are resistant to move to an assisted living facility, as it will mean leaving the comfort and familiarity of home, and giving up some control over their own schedules and daily routines.  You can expect these facilities to cost approximately $3,350 per month., depending on amenities and where you live

In both cases, some costs may be covered under Medicaid, Long Term Care Insurance, Social Security Income, or Veteran’s Benefits.  It will be important to thoroughly do your research to find out how much of the cost you would be required to pay out of pocket.

With this information in mind, you should speak to your loved one about their wants and needs for their care and have a plan in place before it becomes necessary.