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Caregiver’s Guide to Senior Housing and Elder Care Options
When Gladys had her stroke two years ago, Nichole and I decided that we did not want Gladys to live in a nursing home or in her own home with strangers. We wanted to take care of her as long as we were able to handle her physical limitations and her dementia. Hopefully, Gladys will be able to live out her life with us and we won’t have to explore other housing options; however, we will utilize additional care options.
One thing that I understand is that everyone is not able to take care of their loved ones at home. I also understand that some of our loved ones are aging but not ready for a caregiver. There are many housing options available that address most situations. The list below is from New Lifestyles Magazine (Fall/Winter 2007). It covers all levels of housing options for seniors.
Active Adult Community: Usually offer a choice of spacious homes rather than apartments, often with a clubhouse in which a variety of activities are planned for residents. Monthly fees may cover services such as housekeeping and maintenance, but meals are usually not included.
Apartments: Independent living units with age requirements. Meal service, activity programs and services usually aren’t included in the monthly rent.
Retirement/Independent: Totally independent living with amenities such as meals, transportation and activities ususally included in a monthly fee.
Assisted Living: Multi-unit facilities that provide assistance with medications and daily activities such as bathing and dressing.
Personal Care: Multi-unit facilities that provide personalized service plans. Services/amenities include daily meals, assistance with daily living activities, medication reminders, recreational activities, scheduled transportation, etc.
Alzheimer’s: Facilities offering specialized programs for residents suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of memory loss. These programs can be offered by Residential, Assisted Living or Nursing facilities.
Nursing/Rehab: Facilities licensed to provide skilled nursing services under the supervision of licensed nurses.
Sub-Acute: Facilities licensed to provide care that falls between acute care and traditional skilled nursing home care, usually after or instead of hospitalization.
Home Care: May include both companies that provide licensed health care services in the home and companies who provide non-medical assistance with such tasks as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and transportation.
Sitter Service: Services of sitters, aides or private duty nurses or therapists in the home, hospital or residential facility. May include personal care assistance, grooming, medication supervision, light housekeeping, transportation, nursing care or therapy.
Day Care: Various programs provide a range of geriatric day services, including social, nutrition, nursing, and rehabilitation. Not all programs provide all services.
Respite Care: Respite Care provides family members a time of relief from the constant everyday care of an elderly person. These short-term stays, normally in a nursing or assisted living facility, provide companionship to the patient while relieving the family of daily activities.
Sr. Placement: Services that locate the right home for you or your loved one with respect to specific needs and preferences.
Hospice: Hospice care may be provided in the home or a senior care facility. Services can include pain management and a variety of emotional, spiritual and physical support issues.
We have Gladys enrolled in a full service Adult Day Care. We will probably also use the sitter service when our daughter is not available to stay with Gladys when we need to go to some social function together or maybe a weekend get-away.
I welcome your comments and feedback.
5 People have left comments on this post
Sep 16, 2008 - 02:09:28Thank you for listing the options for care. Seeing a veritable buffet of options is a relief, and I’m sure there will be even more in a few years as we Boomers age.
What can you find out about costs? Caring for elders in the home is the cheapest option, I believe, even if you hire caregivers.
@Rhond7 – I think you are right. There are so many Boomers with aging parents and relatives who are living longer and longer. Sooner or later, most of us will be looking into different levels of care.
@Hattie – I’ll have to look into the costs. When Gladys first had her stroke, we opted for an in-home caregivers but it wasn’t the best option for Gladys because the caregivers talked on the phone all day and Gladys looked at TV all day. That’s why we eventually went with the adult day care. The cost was about the same.
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