There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to senior care. When people first realize that care is needed, either for themselves or for a loved one, often the first conclusion is that they need to move into a nursing home. But for many, this isn’t always the best choice.
Senior care can be thought of as a spectrum, meeting various severity levels of need along the way. The more assistance the individual needs, and the more medical attention needed, the more likely the nursing home is to be the right choice for them.
One good place to start is looking at your older loved one’s daily life. Are they forgetting to take care of themselves like they once did? Are there important things around the house that are not being done well or at all? Are they able to make appointments, both medical and social, like they were once doing? If you’re seeing decline in these areas, perhaps senior care is the right next step.
The level of care that they might need is the next consideration. How much help is needed? What’s the nature of that assistance? These thoughts can get you pointed toward the right care.
But even the spectrum idea of senior care is limiting. It doesn’t take into account different preferences and goals that individuals have. Even if a nursing home can effectively meet someone’s needs, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the only way those needs can be met. Many that would benefit from a nursing home would also benefit from receiving home health care, with a trained medical professional coming into their home to administer the daily medical attention that is needed.
Again, it’s not the fact that help is needed that indicates it’s time to move into a senior care facility or nursing home. It’s the level of care needed, the goals of the individual receiving care, and a variety of other factors. Need is an important consideration, but it’s not the only one that needs to be acknowledged.
Working with a professional can help you to put this in a more helpful light.
Ultimately, you know your family better than anyone else does. You’re the expert of your own situation. But even with that said, sometimes having an outside set of eyes look at the situation and give their professional opinion can be helpful. If you think that this will be beneficial to you and your loved ones, please feel free to get in touch with us. One of our trained caregivers would be happy to assist you. We offer free consultation services for exactly this reason. We can go over your background and your family’s needs, and then help guide you toward the care options that will be best for your unique situation.
The consultation comes with no obligation and no pressure. If you’re looking for care, we’d love to help. And even if we’re not the ones who end up working alongside you, we are here to help get you started on those first few steps of your care journey. Please call today to get started.
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