When it’s time to decide on how to care for your elderly loved ones, making the right decision is challenging. How would you know what's right for your senior's life? It’s by understanding every aspect of the type of care you should offer to them.
Unfortunately, the terms "home care" and "nursing home" appear similar to the majority, and it would be possible to mistake one for the other. Therefore, most people who find themselves in this dilemma are unsure which one is the best fit for their loved ones' needs. Read futher to learn the difference between home care and a nursing home.
An In-Depth Look at Home Care
Home care is professional nursing and medical care or support services delivered in a client's home. These services allow seniors to improve their quality of life and allow them to stay in their preferred home setting.
Home care can take different forms based on the individual client's needs. These forms of services range from minor assistance, frequent non-medical visits, and 24/7 assistance. This means that several services are offered through home care services. This includes:
- Bathing and hygiene assistance
- Assistance in mobility challenges
- Medication reminder
- Food preparation
- Companionship
- Driving a client to regular doctor's appointments or the grocery store
Since most seniors cannot drive, driving them to various destinations is part of the services provided by home care nursing services. All the above-stated activities are referred to as activities of daily living (ADL). Therefore, it's easy to conclude that home care services are meant to help people effectively carry out their ADLs but from the comfort of their homes.
Although most home care services assist with ADLs, they also provide skilled nursing assistance to seniors. Skilled nursing assistance is a form of home care service meant to handle complex medical needs. This kind of home care nursing service can benefit seniors with a variety of medical diagnoses and needs. Some of the common services provided through skilled nursing assistance include:
- Breathing treatment for individuals with asthma
- Ventilator care
- Feeding tube and NG tube care
- Aiding with wound care
- Providing medications
The Pros of Home Care Nursing
Home care nursing holds a few advantages since it aims to provide nursing services to older people in their homes' comfort. These advantages are as follows:
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Familiarity with the Surroundings
The most crucial advantage of home care services is that your loved one will receive their care from the comfort of their home. This would be a suitable way to help them with mental conditions like dementia.
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Ability to Provide Personalized Care
Your senior can receive a personalized care plan tailored to his or her needs. Therefore, you can continue living your life without the worry about how your senior is fairing. These services also give you the freedom to change the kind of care that your loved ones are receiving based on rising needs.
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Ability to Receive Support with their Diet and Nutrition
As your loved ones grow older, they need to stay and eat healthily. Most of them have chronic conditions, and recently discharged from hospitals are usually nutritionally at-risk. Illness, injury, bed-rest, and aging can all contribute to their body weight loss. Therefore, choosing a home-based nursing service provides the opportunity for customized diet and nutrition that fits your loved one's nutritional needs.
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Medical Management
It can be stressful for seniors to manage all the medication. However, home health care providers can ensure that your loved one gets the right medication at the right time to control their health and avoid severe drug interactions.
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Home Care Services Offers Companionship to Seniors
It's no secret that people do not find time to spend with their loved ones. Fortunately, home-based nursing care can provide the kind of companionship that your loved one would like to spend with you. Home nurses can engage seniors in activities like reading, taking a walk, playing games, among other social activities. Other activities include providing company on errands, medical appointments, or grocery shopping.
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There are Better Health Outcomes
Research has proven that home care guarantees better health results compared to nursing homes. Seniors under home care services have been experiencing fewer complications for conditions like COPD, diabetes, and pneumonia.
Disadvantages of Home Care
Although there are several advantages to talk about when it comes to home care services, there are a few disadvantages to this service. For instance, your loved one might feel isolated when there is no proximity to a social support network. This is common with seniors who depend on home caregivers who are not frequent in their visits.
There are also chances of deficient caregiving, especially when there are instances of abuse, neglect, and theft that go unnoticed. That's why it is always to check the providers’ background and ensure that you get a trusted referral.
Finally, home care services lack emergency resources needed that are necessary for seniors with severe medical conditions. Home care providers have to wait for help to arrive anytime their client suffers from a medical condition and can result in severe complications or death.
What You Should Know About Nursing Homes
Usually, a nursing home is the highest level of care for older outside hospitals. These homes provide custodial care to seniors by assisting with ADLs. Most of the nursing homes are run by licensed physicians who supervise every patient's care. Skilled nursing is usually available 24 hours a day, and other medical professionals like physical therapists might also be available.
Nursing homes can also have private and semi-private rooms. Other institutions have also added amenities like shared spaces, recording room, and scheduled activities to entertain their residents.
The Benefits of Nursing Homes
Putting your senior in a nursing home is not a bad option. Several benefits come along with this decision that would benefit you and your loved one. Let's have a look at them.
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Your Senior Will Have Assistance with Day-to-day Living
It's no secret that most older people struggle with their day-to-day tasks in life. However, nursing homes can help solve this problem by providing their staff members to help your loved ones with challenging tasks. These staff members have a high chance of ensuring that your loved one gets the best services since this is what they are expected to do.
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Availability of Emergency Healthcare Services
There are trained staff in a nursing home ready to deal with any medical problem with their clients. They usually dispense medication at the right time and make further diagnoses when necessary. This allows you to relax, knowing that the health of your loved one is being taken care of.
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Nursing Homes Are Safe for Your Loved one
One of the guarantees of a nursing home is the ability to provide safety and security at all times. Older people are targets for fraudsters and can be their victims when living in their homes. The problem can become more severe if your loved one has dementia. Fortunately, nursing homes have standby staff who ensure that your loved one is protected from any harm.
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Opportunity for Social Engagement
Loneliness is the scourge of old age, but nursing homes beg to differ with this notion. These places offer a place where seniors can always chat with their peers and members of the staff. Some even provide activities and outings that keep seniors active and mentally stimulated.
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Guarantee of Regular Meal Times
Most older adults fail to feed themselves properly or even forget to eat and drink at the right time, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer's. A nursing home's primary goal is to ensure that its residents are offered various healthy and nutritional meals at regular intervals during the day. The staff can also assist with anything related to the meals that they should take.
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No Need to Worry About Housekeeping Services
You and your senior do not have to worry about keeping his or her house clean and clean all the laundry piles once you place him or her in a nursing home. The staff will ensure that your loved one's bedding is cleaned regularly, clothes are clean, and their environment is kept clean.
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Nursing Homes Are Suitable for Relieving the Strain on Family Members
In modern society, adults must work, meaning that they do not find sufficient time to look after their elderly family members. However, knowing that your loved one is safe and well looked after gives you and the rest of your family a chance to relax.
The Disadvantages of Nursing Home
Although nursing homes have to offer several benefits, there are a few disadvantages related to it. It is recommendable to learn about these disadvantages to enlighten you before deciding on your loved one’s best care service. These disadvantages are as follows:
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Nursing Homes can be Expensive
Nursing homes can be an expensive option for anyone seeking long-term care. For instance, the average rate for a private room in California is $307 per day, totaling $112,000 per year. Having this kind of expense can turn to be a burden on you and cannot even be covered by your loved one's retirement savings. Therefore, if you still opt for a nursing home, you will probably end up choosing a low-cost option that does not guarantee the best services for your loved one.
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Nursing Homes Can Be Depressing for Your Loved One
Uprooting your older family member from the familiarity and comfort of his or her home and shifting them to a nursing home can be depressing. To make matters worse, most older people think that their children take them to nursing homes as a way to get rid of them. Those who have dementia can find it hard to familiarize themselves with new surroundings, making them depressed once they are shifted to a nursing home.
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Lack of Independence and Freedom
Once a person is removed from their routine and placed on another schedule, it can be hard to adjust. For instance, nursing homes do not allow them to decide what to eat at a specific time other than the freedom at home. Having a schedule can be beneficial for your loved one, but the inability to control their life can make them lose self-esteem.
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Lack of Proximity to Family
If there is no nursing home close to your home, you have to do your visits on weekends and sometimes miss some due to one thing or another. Even when you are close by, your loved one may still feel a lack of family presence, which increases depression and loneliness. Most nursing home staff try to create a sense of community among their residents, but most seniors still do not consider them as family.
The Bottom Line
Both nursing homes and home-based care services can be suitable options for your loved one. However, it depends on your senior's needs. Even so, the choice of good home care or nursing home all depends on you. You need to evaluate every option that comes along and see whether it is best suited for your loved one.
To put this in perspective, you should first understand your loved one's needs before you even start comparing your options. For instance, if your senior has dementia or other age-related conditions, you must look for a home care agency with home caregivers experienced in handling these conditions.
Evaluating your financial capacity is also essential in the decision you make. You must make sure that you can cater to the expenses that come along with your choice. Otherwise, you can end up giving your loved one low-quality care services if you cannot manage to cover all the expenses that come along.
Finally, ensure your availability to your loved one at all times. The best way to avoid loneliness in your seniors is to make regular visits to their homes or nursing homes regardless of people's availability.
Find a Home Care Service Provider Near Me
Nursing homes have long been the only consideration for senior care. Well, that is not the only option these days. Home care services are ideal if you want your loved one taken care of at home in Los Angeles. At Mom's Home Care, we believe that the best gift you could ever give to your loved one is a reliable and professional in-home care service. That's why we are focused on delivering the best home care services to our clients. For more information, do not hesitate to call us today at 323-244-4789. We can answer any question you may have about home care to help you make the best decision for your loved one.
