As the seniors in our lives grow older, it is natural for us to worry about their lives and how they manage themselves. The older they grow, the frailer and forgetful they become. They also become more prone to accidents and injuries. Old age may be an excellent time for them, but it is a difficult period, especially if they are not physically able to care for themselves. It is time to think of what you can do to help them.
For many people, choosing between home-care and sending their loved one to a nursing home is a great challenge. How do you know what is right for your parents/grandparents? Given a chance, many of us would prefer personally taking care of most aspects of our lives. But in cases where this is not possible or practical, you are left with the two options from which to choose.
Home Care and Nursing Home
Nursing homes have been with us for eons, even before homecare became popular. They are places for people who do not need a hospital but cannot be well cared for at home. Nursing homes usually have skilled nurses and nursing aides who take care of the elderly round the clock.
Some nursing homes are set up like hospitals, though they offer more than medical care. These nursing homes will also provide speech, occupational, and physical therapy to patients who need it. In these homes, you are likely to find a nurse station on each floor. These are mostly for the elderly who require both physical and medical care but do not need hospitalization.
Other nursing homes are set up like homes. They are designed so that the elderly will feel as if they are in their homes. Here, there is no fixed daily schedule, and residents can access all areas, including kitchens. Members of staff in these nursing homes are usually encouraged to develop close relations with their patients.
The tradition is to send your loved one to a nursing home as soon as they cannot care for themselves. It minimizes the chances of them hurting themselves, which is possible if they live by themselves. However, so much has changed as nowadays, people can bring a nursing home’s services close to those who need them. Home-care offers what nursing homes provide and more.
Indeed, most elders do not willingly leave their homes for nursing homes. A lot of them are forcefully hospitalized. Even when they know that they need help, the thought of leaving their homes and moving into an institution does not always sit well with them. It is where home care services come in. With in-home services, the elderly do not have to leave their homes for admission to an institution as they can receive all the help they need right in their comfort zone.
Home Care Vs. Nursing Home
Over the years, nursing homes have been trying hard to make their institutions as comfortable as possible for their patients, with minimal success. Nursing homes are set up similar to homes but offer only a little comfort to the elderly because they have to leave their own homes. The primary battle is always in going, which is what home care eliminates. In addition to that, home care has been seen to offer many other benefits missing in nursing homes. Some of them are:
Undivided Attention
Undivided attention for your loved one is something you cannot find in a hospital or nursing home. As he/she grows older, they become more dependent and may need constant help to go by every day. It becomes frustrating for them if they cannot receive a caregiver’s attention when they need it. That is why the option of taking care of them at their home is way better.
At home, your loved one will be the only one receiving help and care, and so, they will not have to compete for attention with other patients. Thus, they are more relaxed and at peace. It helps them feel better faster, especially if they are unwell. An agitated elderly patient may take a longer time to feel better, and their condition could worsen. Keeping them in a calm status should be your priority.
The Comfort Zone
Change is not always accepted, especially for the elderly. Asking an older person to leave their home to be admitted to an institution will not go well with them. They feel safe and secure in a place they are familiar with, making home care a good option. A comfort zone is where no one wants to leave so fast, however much they need help. Your loved one wants to stay in a familiar environment, sleeping in their bed, relaxing in their living room, and taking a walk in their garden, among others.
Sending them off to a nursing home will be depriving them of the small aspects that matter the most for them. Home care services eliminate the need for the elderly to move from familiar surroundings to an unknown territory. You only need to bring in a caregiver for them, and they will feel better in their own home.
Better Health
Research shows that seniors who are taken care of at home enjoy a longer life than those institutionalized in nursing homes. Again, those who remain at their homes tend to be more mentally and physically healthier than those who live in nursing homes. The goal of every family that decides to send their loved ones to nursing homes is to improve the quality of their lives. If that is not what they receive in the end, then their efforts would be futile.
If your loved one’s health will not improve, then there is no need to send them to any nursing home. But since you also have another goal, to ensure that their daily needs are met, you sometimes are left with no choice but to institutionalize them. However, home care services are here, and you do not have to worry about sending your loved one anywhere. Keeping them at home will ensure that their mental and physical well being improves as their needs are taken care of every day.
Improved Healing Process
In addition to better health, home care improves the elderly’s healing process. If your loved one is unwell, sending them to a nursing home may worsen their situation or prolong their healing process. Research shows that people who receive treatment at home heal faster and better than those who become institutionalized. It goes back to the fact that at home, your loved one will be more relaxed. In a familiar place, their mind is more at peace, which is an excellent boost to their healing process.
Therefore, if you want your loved one to heal better and do so faster, keep them at home. You may never need the services of a hospital again.
Customized Services
Nursing homes offer general services to all their patients, some of which may not be befitting to your loved one’s needs. Everyone is unique, and the requirements of a person may vary from those of the other. That is why you should consider a customized service tailored to meet your loved one’s needs. Seniors are very delicate human beings. They can worsen from one minute to the next by the way you treat them. If you truly want your loved one to feel better, learn what they like and want, and provide them what they ask for.
This is only possible in-home care situations. You will know the kind of caregiver to hire at home, the services they need, and any extra help they might need over time. For example, if your loved one has dementia, you will hire specialized ones instead of general help.
Reduced Costs
Generally, nursing homes are more costly than home care. If you are looking for a less expensive option but also want to offer the best care for your elderly loved one, home care will be an ideal option to go for. With home care services, you may even be able to receive eight hours of assistance every day and yet pay much less than you would pay if you had sent your loved one in a nursing home. It is because, in a nursing home, you pay for live-in services. They also have special equipment for elderly care, which is charged even if your loved one is not using them.
Instead of paying more than you should for institutionalized help, keep your loved one at home and offer them the specific support they need. It will not cost you more, and in the end, they will be better than they would have been if they were in a nursing home.
Freedom and Independence
You do not have to take away your loved one’s freedom and independence in the name of providing help. As a person becomes older, the more they want to remain independent and free. They also have been open and independent adults for so many years. Giving all that up in one moment will not be okay for them.
Your loved one will not be free to make their own decisions in a nursing home like they have been doing for years. They will not feel independent anymore, which may affect their mental wellbeing. Again, most nursing homes have strict rules and schedules that must be followed to the letter.
Keeping them at home ensures that they can set the rules in their own home. They can even go out as often as they need to socialize, take a walk, or even visit friends. Their life does not have to change much simply because they are unwell, or too old to take care of themselves. Family and friends can also visit any time, without seeking the consent of authorities as it happens in nursing homes.
Become Involved in the Treatment
Home care gives everyone a chance to become involved in their loved ones’ treatment and care. In a nursing home, the family is usually locked out and only allowed during visiting hours. Treatment is only administered by the healthcare workers employed by the nursing home. However, with your loved one at home, you and everyone else can become involved in their day-to-day well-being. You can go there at any time to help administer their medications, help them with physical therapy, and simply be there to help with their recovery process.
An elderly individual is likely to feel better when his/her family is directly involved in their care. It is also suitable for the family to be present in their loved ones, especially when they do not feel well. Home care allows everyone in the family to take care of their loved ones instead of leaving them in strangers’ care throughout the day.
Serve Them What They Like
As earlier mentioned, there is a lot the elderly may not be willing to give up as they grow older, and this includes their favorite meals. In a nursing home, they will be forced to eat what has been prepared for everyone else. If they do not like it, they won’t eat. Their bodies need to become well-nourished to fight illnesses and keep them healthy, which is impossible if they are not eating well. At home, you will be able to serve your loved one with their favorite meals. They can even suggest what they want prepared.
Find Home Care Services Near Me
A lot more a family can benefit from home care for their elderly loved one as opposed to sending them to a nursing home. Therefore, if this is a decision you have to make, consider their comfort, independence, and general well being above everything else. Would you prefer your loved one in a nursing home or in a place you can also visit freely and help them overcome their condition? If you are in Los Angeles, CA, and choose home care, call us at 323-244-4789. At Mom’s Home Care, we have a variety of services from which you can choose. They are all designed to help your loved one at a time in their life when they are no longer able to care for themselves.
