Within the United States, it is estimated that a total of over $40 billion per year is spent on senior care just when it comes to those that have suffered from a stroke. Not only is care often very expensive, it can place a large physical burden on families, too. Many stroke survivors need 20 hours or more of care per week, and family members are often picking up the bulk of that time. It comes with a great sacrifice, however, and many individuals are not prepared for this.
In order to combat the large cost of care, many families shoulder the burden themselves. There is nothing wrong with this, and many families are able to do this very well without any sort of professional assistance. Others find that they are not able to be caregivers of the high quality that their family deserves, but aren’t sure what the next steps are to make sure that their loved one has the assistance and supervision that they need. Often in these cases, a nursing home is used because Medi-Cal will pick up some or all of the costs, depending on the financial situation. This is great for some situations, but for many others it is the wrong move. Being educated about care types is important if you have a family member in need, and jumping to conclusion based solely upon financial assumptions can have negative results. Not all care is overly expensive, and there are other solutions out there. In-home care is a cost effective choice at the professional level, while other solutions, like having more family members and friends taking turns with providing help or filling in once in a while can ease the burden of care on your end. A combination of different types of care can help, as well.
When a loved one has suffered a stroke, thinking about what can be done to help them live a happy and stress free life is probably one of the first things that you will do. You also need to think about yourself, though. Just because you might believe that doing all of the work yourself to help a loved one is the best thing for them doesn’t mean that this will always be what’s best for them. It might start out that way, but depending upon the demands of their needs, your own background, and the needs of the rest of your family, it’s not always best to take on the full burden by yourself as a family caregiver. It is stressful, demanding, and exhausting. At times, it can even be downright disheartening. If you are finding yourself increasingly unable to keep up with the various demands that being a caregiver entails, then you should begin to consider what your options are. Meeting with a professional in-home care service provider can be a good start. Even if this isn’t what’s necessarily best for you, the caregiver that you meet with is likely trained to be able to know what is best for your parent and your family. These consultations are free, and they don’t create an obligation on your end, taking just a little bit more of the financial burden off of you.
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