Assisted Living vs. Home Care: Tips For Choosing Senior Care
Helping an aging family make decisions is difficult – to say the least. You may be considering assisted living or home care and trying to decide which would be better for your loved one. While each situation is unique, here are some thoughts on why an assisted living facility may be better for your loved one in the long run.
Assisted living communities offer healthy meals for residents.
Is your loved one who is living on their own eating healthy, well-balanced meals? Unfortunately, many seniors do not complete daily meal preparation and instead turn to convenience food and fast-food options. They may eat too little, too much, or not the right foods, and their health may suffer as a result.
Hiring a home health aide may not solve this problem. Home health agencies do not hire chefs. They may be able to help your loved one open a can of soup, but they won’t prepare fresh meals.
If you are worried that your loved one may be malnourished – even to the point of affecting their health, you might consider an assisted living facility. Dining programs offer meals three times daily to ensure that your loved one receives the nutrients they need – without having to go grocery shopping.
An assisted living community will offer transportation services for your loved one.
You may worry whenever your loved one gets behind the wheel to go out into the community. Another benefit of assisted living over in-home care is that most assisted living facilities offer safe, reliable transportation services. You can rest easy knowing that your loved one will still be able to get out in the community – and return home safely.
A person from a home health agency may be able to transport your family member out into the community, but transportation is not the primary service they provide. There may be issues with the vehicle and the caregiver’s driving ability.
Some older adults are uncomfortable with strangers in their homes.
Many wonderful in-home caregivers provide skilled health care services, companionship, and personal care. However, your older adult, until they get used to having workers in their own home, may feel uncomfortable.
In addition, it’s sometimes difficult to know how much help your loved one will need – especially if they don’t need one-on-one care. And managing caregivers can feel like a full-time job.
Assisted living communities fulfill the need to be social.
Your loved one may insist that they aren’t lonely and demand that they remain in their own homes. But once they move to assisted living homes, they may blossom socially. Most senior living communities offer social and religious activities and recreational activities inside and outside the community.
Social isolation can be devastating to the mental and physical health of a senior.
Other assisted living services make life easier and more enjoyable.
Home health agency workers won’t fix leaky faucets or clean leaves out of the gutter. They may help with medication management, but they don’t offer wellness programs that allow your loved one to connect with their peers. An in-home caregiver may help with activities of daily living, but they won’t coordinate programming focusing on community and family involvement.
To learn more about assisted living facilities, look at the properties offered by Retirement Unlimited, Inc. We have many beautiful senior living communities around the country – with several more being developed. Our communities provide Independent Living, Assisted Living, Inspiritás – Memory Care, and Respite Care, with a full array of life enrichment programs.
Key Takeaways: Assisted Living Facility vs. In-Home Care
- Assisted living communities offer healthy meals for residents.
- An assisted living community will offer reliable, safe transportation services for your loved one.
- Some older adults are uncomfortable with strangers in their homes.
- Assisted living communities fulfill the need to be social.
- Other assisted living services make life easier and more enjoyable.