Many senior care experts believe that in the future, there will be far fewer nursing homes in the United States. COVID-19 has hit nursing homes and other senior care facilities hard, especially because the elderly are far more vulnerable to the illness than other portions of the population are. And because nursing homes have concentrated populations of seniors, they have been at the center of the focus of a lot of media outlets thanks to the high number of infections and deaths that have occurred.
Although they might not be perfect, many experts believe that a decentralized, family-based approach is the best way to assist our elderly loved ones. This is how care was done in the past, and it just might be the future. This becomes a much higher likelihood when you look at some of the recent difficulties that nursing homes have faced.
However you look at it, nursing homes face significant challenges. And because of this, many elderly folk are at risk as a result. There is a lot of care and structure within a nursing home, but there are also big concessions made once someone enters this type of facility. Freedom, connection with friends and family, and extra exposure to infection are some of the things impacted. Alternate types of care can help to alleviate these issues.
Nursing homes also happen to be very expensive. Most people cannot afford an extended stay in this type of setting. Medicaid can help with costs, but this also leads to a loss of freedom of choice in where care is received.
Please don’t interpret this as an attack against nursing homes. Nursing homes are an important part of the senior care community. However, the personalized, small scale approach to senior care has a lot of benefits that a nursing home cannot provide. And thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen many other benefits of small scale care come to the spotlight. This approach to care does not eliminate infections, but researchers have observed a lower rate of coronavirus spread when senior care is given in a non-institutionalized manner. This is true even in cities where the virus has been rampant, such as Boston and Detroit. It’s certainly not perfect for everyone, but having more options is helpful for a greater number of people. The nursing home model is sometimes the best choice for a family. But either way, it’s good to know that it’s not the only choice.
Having options when it comes to your care is important. We can help you figure these things out if you’re unsure of what you’re looking for. Please get in touch with us if you have questions about care and how it might benefit your family. There are a lot of choices out there and we know that this can be overwhelming. Having an expert on your side, someone that you trust and can rely on, is important.
Our care consultations are completely free of charge and come with no obligation on your part. It can even be done virtually to help stay in compliance with social distancing requirements. Our goal is to educate you and point you in the right direction based on your unique needs. And if we can be your care provider, we would be honored to do so.
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