Are you looking for options to support your elderly family member? Are you going through the process of getting the help of a caregiver? You might feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for the elderly but know that it is your duty as a family member and you are not alone on this. May Americans are doing this as well. Here we will help you find the answers you are looking for.

A nursing home is a place for those elderly who cannot live independently and need constant care due to old age or any physical and mental condition. Residents eligible for a nursing home require constant monitoring or supervision. Nursing homes provide frequent care services from skilled nurses, so you don’t have to worry about whether your family member is getting the correct medical care or not. Services provided by a nursing home include:

• Long-term care
• Rest home
• Care home
• Intermediate care home
• Extended care

Personal Care is assistance provided by caregivers who do not require a license or registration. Examples of personal care services include:

• Helping residents get dressed, bathe, eat or go to the bathroom
• Applying creams for minor problems
• Administering oral medications, eye drops or ointments
• Repositioning elders in their beds
• Providing company to residents who feel lonely and depressed
• Changing dressings for wounds
• Helping residents get around in wheelchairs or walk
• Assisting with maintenance of colostomy bags or bladder catheters

Most nursing homes and assisted living facilities strive to create a warm, homelike environment where residents can socialize and live comfortably. However, beyond that goal, these two types of senior living options have differences in their services.

Assisted living facilities:

• Have with small kitchens
• Provide private or shared apartment-style living units
• Provide residents freedom in decorating their spaces
• Provide communal dining spaces or recreational centres
• Provide therapy to residents with mental conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s etc.
• Some facilities provide access to medical supplies at discount via arrangements with third-parties. Heres an example of a discount arrangement.
• Serve on an average, about 28 residents each day, according to CDC

Nursing homes:

• Tend to offer less recreational space
• Offer private hospital-style living units
• Provide a little less freedom to elders in decorating their space
• Provide communal living areas and dining spaces
• Serve about 88 residents each day, on average.

In both kinds of facilities, the staff is trained to value residents’ privacy. And, even some assisted living facilities allow their residents to have pets.

Cost Differences

Many seniors rely on Medicaid and Medicare, but these government programs don’t quite provide the coverage on the whole cost of the program.

With assisted living facilities:

• Most residents (or their families) payout of their own pockets.
• Some residents are covered through private medical care insurance.
• Many veterans can pay using veteran benefits.
• Some states provide Medicaid coverage under certain eligibility criteria.

With nursing home care:

• When eligible, most residents pay for it with Medicaid.
• Some people pay for it out of pocket or with private long-term care insurance.

Article specially written for amacfoundation.org by Jennifer Ford, Digital Marketer and Blogger

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