There are several benefits of home care that assisted living facilities just can’t provide. But don’t take our word for it, learn more with this helpful article. “But I don’t want to leave my home!” Making the decision to move an elderly loved one into an assisted living facility is not an easy one. It’s made even more difficult by the fact that your loved one may not want to leave their home and is putting up a fair bit of resistance. But wait. Maybe there’s a better way. Maybe you don’t have to move them to an assisted living facility just yet. Let’s take a look at 7 benefits of home care. Maybe you can find a happy medium that will work out better for everyone.
1. All the Comforts of Home
Perhaps the number one advantage of home health care is the vestiges of independence your loved one can retain. It is difficult to grow old. Tasks that used to be simple become difficult, or even impossible. For many people that can be difficult to admit. Moving into an assisted living facility feels defeating to many elderly people. They have to accept and admit that they can no longer provide for their own basic needs. In many cases as well, your loved one has spent many years in their home. They have many happy memories there that they don’t want to leave behind. Plus, home is so much more comfortable and inviting than an assisted living facility. Home healthcare gives them the opportunity to stay in their home as long as possible. Plus, it gives you peace of mind to know that they are being well cared for.
2. Pets
This is not something that many people often think about. But if your loved one has a pet, they have to say goodbye to that beloved pet in order to move into an assisted living facility. Animals actually have a highly positive impact on both mental and physical human health. Thus, it is actually beneficial to your loved one to keep their pet around.
3. Open Visiting Hours
Assisted living facilities usually have visiting hours and maybe even guidelines of how many people can visit at once. There are no such restrictions when your loved one is in their own home. Family members and friends are free to come and go as they please. If your loved one falls ill or is feeling down, it’s easy to bring the family over for dinner to cheer them up.
4. One-on-One Professional Attention
If you’re worried about the quality of care with in-home care, you shouldn’t be. As long as you choose a reputable service who hires people with the right qualifications you have nothing to worry about. In fact, your loved one will receive even better, one-on-one attention. At an assisted living facility, the nurse’s attention will be divided between several patients. In the comfort of their own home, they get their nurse’s undivided attention.
5. Continuity of Care
The continuity of care is often better with home healthcare options as well. Your loved one can usually stick with their same doctor. Plus, home health care services often send the same nurse, or nursing team, to care for your loved one. That way, everybody is on the same page and knows what care your loved one is receiving. In fact, home health care nurses tend to stick with their patients for years. But there is often a lot of turnover in assisted living staff. So with home health care, your loved one has the opportunity to develop a close relationship with their caretaker.
6. Less Risk of Illness/Infection
One of the biggest benefits of home health care is the decreased risk of illness or infection. Is it well documented that the risk of infection in nursing homes is quite high. In many instances, these infections can be life-threatening. It only makes sense that putting a lot of people with weak immune systems together will result in a breeding ground for illness and infection. These facilities, of course, have strict rules in place to help protect their patients, but it isn’t perfect. A much better option is to not go into that environment in the first place. Staying at home dramatically reduces your loved one’s risk of contracting an illness or infection. Do you find that your loved one is already having trouble and falling ill frequently? Then this is definitely something to consider before putting them in an assisted living facility.
. Cost
Another great benefit to in-home care is the cost. While you might think it would be pricey to have a private nurse come to your home, stop and compare. The costs of an assisted living facility are usually far greater. Often, elderly folks live in homes that they have already paid for. In that case, their living expenses are rather minimal. Going into an assisted living facility could mean a marked monthly increase. Even if they still have a house payment, it is often less than the cost of assisted living. Instead, you can opt for an in-home nurse. You can choose how often and for how long your loved one needs care. Some elderly folks don’t need someone coming every day, which could represent significant savings. But even if the nurse comes daily, you’ll find the price to be reasonable in comparison to an assisted living facility.
Benefits of Home Care: What Do You Think?
There are many benefits of home care, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right for your loved one. You have to sit down and talk with your loved one and determine the best option for them. Their mental and physical stability, the location of their home, and many other factors will affect this decision. But, for many people, home care is an excellent way to bridge the gap between having to move and getting the proper medical care. To learn more about this option, be sure to check out the answers to some frequently asked questions. Or, feel free to contact us for more information about our services in Florida and how home health care works.
