Elder Care Connect

Elder Care Services and Their Attributes

Posted on 23. Feb, 2010 by admin in General, Psychology, Relationships

We move with the passage of time. It isn’t much longer before we and our parents become extremely old and frail. It’s quite vital that we make sure that our parents are taken care of once they lose the ability to care for themselves and live on their own. Whoever you are, you’ll face this decision. You absolutely have to make sure that you know what you’re doing and what your options are, instead of just picking the first thing that comes to mind, which may not be the best idea. You have to make sure your elders are cared for. The following outlines the differences between adult day care, nursing home care, and assisted living facilities.

Adult Day Care
In the case of adult day care, you get the least amount of time in that care, which extends to 5 days a week of 8 hours daily. This particular brand of care is often extended to the elderly with deteriorating conditions such as visual and hearing impairment, Alzheimer’s and declining brain function, as well as those with physical handicaps and HIV or AIDS. If caregivers simply don’t have the time to care for their charges all the time, they send them here. Typically, prior to entering the program, it’s explicitly stated what their needs and abilities may be. Due to the lack of personal care and rehab services offered by adult day care, you have to evaluate the person’s physical ability. Adult day care can be quite advantageous in that the independence of the person is maintained, and family members can still take care of them in the off hours, after they get off work.

Medicaid can pay for this service, provided that they qualify; other income sources can be medical insurance, tax credits, or need based scholarships. Adult day care is not covered by Medicare. The majority of these centers are non-profit, but they do charge for services. Each center has its own rates. Rates may vary from one center to another and rates are determined based on the location and quality of services. You can also arrange transportation. You can find state-licensed full time nursing services with these particular facilities.
Assisted Living
Assisted living is the next level of care the elderly can receive, barring living with their family. If a senior citizen has some degree of independence, but needed more hands-on care then they’d get in a retirement community, they go here. These places emphasize the independence of the individual resident, and try to give them privacy. When living in an assisted care facility, you can take advantage of health care, education, unit maintenance, shopping, money management, meal preparation, housekeeping, linen, 24-hour care, activities between residents, personal care and transportation. There are 1 bedroom units or studios that are both furnished and unfurnished that they can live in. Elders or seniors may have to share a bathroom. There are full kitchens or kitchenettes in quite a few units.

When a resident is considered for inclusion, they’re evaluated according to their mental awareness, medical history, and physical abilities in order to make sure that they would benefit from residing in assisted living. When in assisted living, it’s encouraged to have family members stop by still, and they are all invited to the intermittent social activities that they have. There are commonly full medical staff and trained nurses in these facilities. Dining rooms are provided, along with meals; residents can have assistance eating. There are many activities that happen every day, which are still optional to attend. There are also church services which can have a denomination or not, typically having a bit of both. The state regulates and oversees assisted care facilities.

Personal funds, Medicaid, health insurance and Social Security can all be ways in which to fund Elders or Seniors stay. There are many different costs, depending on how big your unit is and where it is located. The average cost of a monthly stay in Philadelphia assisted care based on a survey conducted by Metlife Mature Institute last year (2009) is $ 2,933.

Nursing Homes

The highest amount of care is provided in nursing homes. There are physical needs to attend to. Residents of these facilities usually don’t have the ability to move on their own, or eat and drink by themselves, due to physical or mental ailments. These residents have a very low level of function in their daily lives. For the most part, residents of nursing homes will never be able to care for themselves again, so their daily activities have to be assisted. Medical needs will also be a factor.

There is 24 hour nursing assistance available for residents. Due to the needs of the residents, this level of care is put in place. Medication is completely managed, and a physician monitors its use and dosage. If you have enough private funds, you are able to get a private room. For the most part, 2 people occupy a single room. There are either dining area options or delivered meals in their room. Nursing homes can provide the residents with laundry, housekeeping, meals, social activities, and exercise. It’s stressed that family members should stop by.

Depending on the location of the home and the surcharges that private payers have to shell out, nursing homes can vary in cost. Most of the costs in a nursing home are provided for by the government. This type of financial support extends to approximately 85% of the residents of nursing homes. Long-term care insurance is another way to fund your stay. This, however, stretches out between $235 to $248 a day in most cases, and will cost you $7,000 a month or more. Provided the services and location you get, this figure can absolutely change.

To conclude, you can get temporary care for your elderly person through adult day care, and permanent residence with nursing homes and assisted living. You should look into what financial options you have available. Medicare and AARP are great places to get this information. You can find plenty of websites online that will allow you to find the best place to get your loved one the care they need, and you can find plenty of people to network within the phone book. It’s absolutely paramount that we take care of our elders. You’ll feel a lot better knowing that they’re in good hands.

Tags: adult care, assisted living, Elder Care, elder care services, home healthcare, Medicaid, Medicare, nursing homes