For years, the nursing home model has been the predominant mode of senior care in the United States. Ever since COVID though, it has been used a little less frequently. There are many reasons why, but what it comes down to is that alternative types of care have benefits and advantages that the nursing home can’t meet.
Luckily, there are a lot of different types of care out there. And since the COVID pandemic, they have gained more widespread exposure. In this blog post, I’d like to highlight a few alternatives to help guide you toward options you might not have considered before.
First and foremost, we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight in-home care. In-home care meets seniors where they are, bringing assistance to them rather than asking them to relocate to get professional level care. In-home care is designed to meet daily needs and activities, such as getting around the house, meals, handling medications, toileting, and bathing. It isn’t designed to handle medical needs, but home health care is. Both of these types of care can be valuable assets when it comes to helping seniors to stay in their own homes for longer periods of time.
There are many different types of care out there, making it easier to find the ideal one for your family.
Senior apartment buildings are another resource you might not have considered before. This is an independent senior living community. Some might have care professionals on site, but not all of them do. The big benefit of this type of living situation is that it brings seniors together in community. One of the big challenges that seniors face is isolation. An apartment building geared toward the elderly community helps to prevent this from happening.
Respite care is also important to highlight. This is temporary care, designed to ease the burden of the primary caregiver–usually a family member or friend. Respite care can be administered in the home or in another setting. It can be for an extended period of time or a couple hours. It is designed to give the primary caregiver a break so that they can rest, refresh, or run a few errands without needing to worry about the person they’re caring for.
The right choice for you and your family depends completely on your unique situation. There is no one size fits all when it comes to care. Additionally, even with all of the alternative types of care out there, many people will find that a nursing home is the best type of care for their family. Although it’s not right for everyone, it is right for some people.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help. Getting connected to the right senior care service can be stressful, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. We’re just a call away. One of our professional caregivers can walk through your unique situation with you, answer questions, and get you pointed toward the care resources that will help you out the most. We can do all of this during a free consultation session.
The search for care can be stressful, but our hope is that we can help minimize that stress. Give us a call today to talk more.
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