A lot of people that are new to the senior care search are immediately overwhelmed by how expensive care can be. Many people put off senior care for themselves or a loved one far longer than what is healthy or safe as a result of this.
That doesn’t mean that care is unattainable. Looking at what is available and then determining what is necessary is a good first step toward reducing the cost of care. For example, the average cost of a year in a private room within a nursing home in the U.S. is more than $105,000 right now. That’s more than most of us make over the course of a year! It can seem completely unrealistic to afford this expense out of pocket for a loved one.
But this isn’t the only kind of care out there. In fact, many who reside within nursing homes don’t actually need this high level of care. Many would benefit just as much (or more) by receiving in-home care in their current homes. This kind of care can be less than half of what a nursing home costs in most cases–all while allowing the person in need to live their lives more closely to how they have for years.
Additionally, this cost doesn’t take into account different payment resources out there, such as private insurance, Medicaid, and more.
Still, care can be expensive. Cost has long been a barrier for people that deserve high quality senior care. Each senior citizen deserves access to the care that they need in the setting that they wish to receive it in. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been how things have always been.
Thankfully, things are slowly starting to move in this direction. Recent laws have helped to pave the way for more and more people to get access to high quality care. Regardless of your political beliefs, the intent of laws like the Affordable Care Act have been directed toward helping people get access to the medical care that they need without having to worry about how they are going to afford it. The infrastructure bill and various passages of its parts have also been designed to make this more of a reality.
But that doesn’t mean that care is perfect. Cost can still be a big concern for many. If you have concerns or questions about how to pay for senior care, please let us know. There are a lot of great resources out there to help offset this, and perhaps there are resources out there that you’ve never considered as something that might be helpful for your family.
This is part of why having a strong team on your side is important. A team of professionals might have knowledge regarding resources that you are unaware of. And we’d like to be a part of that team for you and your loved ones. Give us a call today to learn more about how we might be able to get you connected to the right resources to help make care more easily accessible for the people that you care about.
Leave a Reply