Choosing an Assisted Living Facility

Is Home Care Enough For Your Senior?

28 June 2018 by Joe Dixon

When your elderly loved one can no longer take care of themselves, one option is to get assistance from an in-home caregiver. Most seniors normally want to spend the end of their lives in the familiar and comfortable surroundings of their own homes, so home care is a welcomed alternative to an assisted living facility.

Home care works very well when in the initial stages. However, at a certain point, no matter what you do, in-home care is no longer enough. It can be fraught with logistical challenges that make it impractical in the long term. So at what point should you move your senior to an assisted living facility?

Greater Dependency

Your senior's needs will change over time. They may get more and more dependent, even needing assistance with living activities, such as going to the bathroom. At this point, you will find that you need more hours of in-house care, and this can be financially overwhelming. It may be cheaper at this stage to go for a full-time senior care arrangement.

Danger of Isolation

A senior under home care could feel isolated and begin to suffer the effects. This is especially true if they receive few visitors. Assisted living will provide them with the social interaction they need.

Challenges Finding the Right Caregiver

Over time, it may become increasingly difficult to find the right caregiver for your loved one. This may be due to their condition or due to the quality of the caregivers you are getting. If there is no family member to fill the gap with what your caregiver can provide, the senior may remain unattended one time too many.   

Assisted living facilities, on the other hand, typically have in-house staff, assuring you of consistency. You are also sure the caregivers are well-trained and a background check has been done on them.

When You are Overwhelmed

Even under home care, you are your parent's primary caregiver. You are the one who bears the most responsibility for their well-being. You are the one to hire and fire caregivers, to take the senior to hospital, to ensure they eat well, etc. This can get overwhelming, especially if you have a job and a family to juggle.

In-home care services are excellent in the early stages of care. They should be considered as the first measure of care for a senior who needs a little bit of help. But in certain cases, assisted living will offer a lasting solution to the benefit of all parties. For more information and considerations, talk with a representative at a local senior care service, such as Penelope's People.

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