Making the decision to put a loved one in a nursing home can be difficult; especially when the need for round-the-clock care is only necessary on sporadic days. Another challenge comes about when there are other options available, however they require your family to make significant adjustments to their lifestyle. In order to make a decision that everyone is comfortable with, it’s important to consider the alternatives before you decide that a nursing home is the right choice to make.
Depending on your location, financial resources, and care needs, finding an alternative to a nursing home may be easy or difficult. Once you have spent some time identifying the needs of your elder care patient and comparing them against the resources you have at your disposal, you will be in a good place to compare programs and find one that is right for your loved one.
Community-Based Care
These programs include telephonic support, home maintenance and repair, transportation, meal delivery, and in-home visitations.
Daily Care Services for Adults
Akin to Child Care programs, Adult Care services can include all-day, morning, afternoon, and possibly evening care for patients depending on the needs of your schedule.
Home-Care Programs
These services specialize in cooking, cleaning, bathing, grooming, and dressing elder care patients.
Subsidized Housing for Non-Medical Need Seniors
These services are offered by some federal and state programs that provide housing for low-to-moderate income patients. Many programs include assistance with shopping, laundry, and housecleaning needs. Most residents are provided with an individual apartment in a shared complex.
At-Home Care Programs
These programs provide care for a few hours or all day from semi-skilled/skilled medical care professionals at home. This is an alternative to nursing homes for patients who live with family members but have special medical needs that require visitations from professionals.
Assisted-Living Services
These programs provide living spaces for elder care patients to rent and pay additional fees to take advantage of special, additional services. The assistance these facilities provide includes meal preparation, laundry, medication schedules, religious programs, and recreational activities.
Board/Care Homes
Like assisted-living facilities, board and care homes provide a group-living environment that provides care services, assistance with daily living needs, and many opportunities for socialization. Board and care homes are often not covered by Medicare or Medicaid and do not maintain the same strict regulations that are monitored by state or federal agencies. Some board and care homes may be covered under certain insurance programs or other medical assistance plans.
Written by Life Advantages – Author Delvina Miremadi ©2014 |
