seniors

When you’re young it doesn’t even occur to you that one day you might be pondering over these options. Maybe your parents are becoming less able to take care of themselves as they age or you’re reading this article to decide the best course of action for yourself.

The majority of senior citizens would prefer to stay at home and be taken care of by their family but that’s not always possible if their kids have to work long hours and also have to take care of small children.

At the same time, it might be that they’re simply not qualified to provide the medical care required.

Nursing Homes – Pros and Cons

The biggest advantage to living in a nursing home is that you are surrounded by a community which reduces loneliness. You always have someone to talk to, they organize activities catered specifically to the elderly. They take care of your laundry, your meals and they’re staffed with medical professionals.

Another plus is the fact that they offer higher levels of security.

The biggest disadvantage is that you or your loved one will have to get accustomed to an unfamiliar environment. When they lived at home, they probably formed bonds with neighbors and staff from local businesses, now they’ll have to form new friendships.

You also have to consider the cost which is usually higher than for assisted living or in-home care.

An unpleasant topic that we still have to approach is elderly abuse. Law firms such as Cummings Law – TN are all too familiar with cases of neglect which led to slips and falls, to malnutrition and bedsores.

This, of course, can happen with the other two options as well. Before choosing a nursing home make sure they conduct a thorough background check of all their employees. You can look up any cases of abuse or negligence that may have been filed against them and check for reviews and reputation.

Assisted Living – Pros and Cons

Assisted living facilities tend to be more affordable than nursing homes and provide a home like setting. Residents live in small apartments or personalized rooms and they get services like laundry, housekeeping, meals, recreational activities and some medical services.

They won’t get as much medical assistance as in a nursing home so it depends on the level of care they need.

The disadvantages are that although less expensive, the cost might still be prohibitive and they have to more out of their homes. Assisted living facilities also can’t provide the sort of care someone with dementia, Alzheimer’s or other chronic conditions needs.

In-Home Care – Pros and Cons

The most obvious advantage for in-home care is that you can stay at home, in a familiar setting and socialize with people you know well. It’s also a lot less expensive and you get personalized care since the caregiver is focused solely on you.

One disadvantage is that you may have to make changes to your home like installing a seat in the shower, handrails, adjust lighting and so on. These can be time consuming and costly. A further downside is that you won’t live in a community like you would in a nursing home or in an assisted living facility.

1 COMMENT

  1. When you stated that in-home care is a great way to provide assistance to an elderly in the familiar environment of their own home, I thought about my uncle and how he currently doesn’t have anyone to keep him company at his farmhouse since everyone’s busy working. This makes me feel sad for him since’s all alone like that, so since he loves that farmhouse a lot and likely wouldn’t want to leave, I’ll get an in-home care service to watch over him until one of us goes on vacation so we can keep him company.