Caring For Elders ? 4 Key Care Options | Nursing Home ? Center for ...

Article by Hal Robertson

When you get to the point where you determine your elder needs some level of care, you need to be aware that elder care can be a moving target. Needs seldom recede, but can grow rather rapidly in some cases. As a general rule, as your elder?s frailty increases, more care will be needed. That means more care giving decisions will need to be made.When determining that your elder needs additional care, you really have 4 key options available to you.1. Allowing Your Elder To Remain In Their Own HomeInitially, your elder may be at the point where they will be able to stay in their own home. It may simply be a situation where you, a family member or outside person may need to come in on a daily or weekly basis to assist with daily chores. Without question, this is the most preferred situation by both the elder and family members alike. As with anyone else, elderly folks like being in familiar surroundings, enjoying their privacy and freedom to do whatever it is they want to do.This option can and does work ? at least initially for many families. This may require making some adjustments to your elders home so that it is easier for them to get around. Things like grab bars on toilets, hand rails around the house, removing area rugs to eliminate the risk of tripping, adding a chair lift on stairs, and other similar adjustments may be needed in order for them to remain in their home.2. Having Them Live With You Or Other Family MemberThe next phase of elder care is normally making the decision to have them move in with a family member. This can be due to a change in your elder?s condition or simply for the piece of mind of the family. You?ll know when this may be right for you when you spend most of your day worrying about your elder where it gets to the point where it?s affecting your job, or a ringing phone late at night makes your heart skip a few beats.Without a doubt, this method has its benefits to be sure. It?s a lot less expensive to care for your elder yourself than hiring someone to come into their home full time. It can also help alleviate a lot of fears you may have about them living on their own, including them not eating properly, forgetting to turn the stove off, or them taking their medication.However, it can also be the most stressful on the rest of your family. Having Mom or Dad around all the time, while requiring a level of care can be a major disruption to the normal day to day lives of everyone in the house. Depending on the family and circumstances, this situation can be a Godsend. But it can also end in disaster as well.3. Assisted LivingAs startling as it may be to hear, it?s true. Over a million elderly folks reside in assisted living facilities. This option is far different from a nursing home where constant care is provided. Assisted Living facilities do not provide any medical care. This option may be right for your elder because it provides the opportunity for them to live in a homelike group setting. This option allows for a more dignified life. They will generally have an option of having a private or shared room. Meals are generally served in a dining room setting, and other services such as housekeeping, laundry, transportation and shopping assistance are normally available as well. Reminders to take medication is also a welcomed service for many.Many have a wide range of recreational opportunities, be it sightseeing trips or simple card games. If your elder is social, this can be a perfect option for all involved.Assisted Living Facilities vary greatly in terms of what they offer, quality of living, and cost.4. Nursing HomesNursing homes can be both a short term and a long term option. They may be needed for those just returning from the hospital for a surgery or other medical issue. On a long term basis, a nursing home is often the last place they will live. This option can be a very emotional one for family members to choose. Often it?s chosen as a last resort, after realizing that you can no longer provide the necessary care needed at your home. Feelings of guilt are most often associated with this option as well. All are normal feelings, but it?s important to realize that there will likely come a time where you will simply not be able to care for your elder. Not because you don?t want to, but because it?s beyond your level of expertise.If your elder is still well aware of their surroundings, but have significant physical ailments, moving them to a nursing home will likely be devastating to them. They will be losing any remaining independence that they had, so be prepared for a battle.However, nursing homes are best equipped to provide your loved one with the best possible care on a 24 hours basis. The level of quality care that the 17,000+ homes provide varies greatly, so when making the decision to move your elder into a nursing home, great care needs to be taken to ensure the facility you are moving them into is held in high regard.

Scott has been writing articles online since his dad was diagnosed at that time. In addition to his writing, Scott also operates a number of informative web sites. You can check out his latest website here: Sewing Machine For Sale featuring the Quilting Sewing Machine

Source: http://www.nursinghomecenterforcare.com/2011/07/29/caring-for-elders-4-key-care-options/

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