In-home Care Or Assisted Living – Which One Is Best For You?

To help you determine what the best options are for your circumstances, let’s take a look at 2 areas you can focus on:

1- What Your/Their Needs Are

2- Understand The Differences Between In-Home Care And Assisted Living

Remember to think long-term as you weigh your options  –  Your needs will most likely change over time!

Right now, you may find that companionship and meal prep are all that is needed… while in the future, you may need help with personal hygiene, daily acts of living, medications and trips to the doctor.

Once you pull the information together and review the pros and cons, you’ll be better prepared to decide whether In-home Care will work best, or if Assisted Living is a better option for you. Be sure to factor in the finances needed for each option and weigh each one based on you or your family’s budget.

Let’s start with the questions below to determine what you need to stay healthy, happy and safe, now and into the future.

If you’re not deciding about care for yourself, be sure to ask what is important to your loved one! Sometimes they can be resistant to help – find out what’s important to them and  start this process slowly.

1- Understanding what Your / Their Needs Are:

Make a list as you go through the questions to help you decide what is needed now and potentially in the future:

• • Can you improve the safety of their home to get the process started?
  • What changes can be made at home to prevent falls?
  • Are you a primary caregiver that needs some downtime and Respite Care?
  • What will make staying at home safely possible?
  • Do they need simple companion care to stay emotionally healthy?
  • Can you use new Senior Tech communication and lower the risk of loneliness & isolation?
  • Do they need medical care, medication reminders, or meals prepared for them?
  • What level of personal care do they need? Does it need to include bathing and personal hygiene?
  • How many hours of care are needed daily or weekly?
  • What type of help is needed on a daily, weekly and monthly basis?
  • Is there other family support available close by?
  • Do you or your family live alone?
  • Is there someone to move in with should it become necessary?
  • What is financially feasible? What are the costs to age At-home vs staying in an Assisted Care facility?

2- Understand the Differences: In-home Care or  Assisted Living?

Once you determine your needs or your family’s needs, you’ll want to be sure that you understand the differences between the 2 types of care. Below is an overview of the basics of each one.

Assisted Living:

An Assisted Living community is a place where many seniors can live in separate or shared rooms or small apartments. Designed for the safety and mobility of residents, the care options can range from services for seniors who are mostly independent, to those who need a higher level of care.

These communities often provide dining, group activities, social interaction, transportation, housekeeping, laundry, and some healthcare services. One-on-one care is not as personal or consistent as In-home Care, and the quality of care will vary depending on the staff.  If a higher level of personal care is needed, a private Nurse Aide may need to be hired.

There is less privacy and independence, and many seniors experience a significant amount of emotional distress during the transition of leaving their homes and families.

In-home Care:

In-home Care provides caregivers that come into your home so that you can age at home safely. Nurse Aides offer personalized, professional, compassionate care for your specific needs on a daily or weekly basis, determined by the number of hours you need. These services are flexible and customized to your needs.

A wide variety of care options are available — This is a huge benefit, as your needs will likely change over time! Personalized care options are available. From simple respite care all the way to bedbound care and everything in between, including dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s care.

You may also decide to utilize several different types of care outside of In-home Care to lower costs and increase social interactions, exercise or provide medical-level care. Many people combine help from family and use an Adult Day program along with In-home Care.

The primary benefits are:

• • • Ability to live at home with comfort, dignity and privacy
    • Use of Certified Nurse Aides or Home-health Aides as needed
    • Flexible, personalized care
    • You and your family can choose your caregivers
    • More affordable care than Assisted Living or a Nursing facility
    • Prevents or postpones institutional living
    • Companionship that helps avoid isolation and loneliness
    • Slows cognitive decline, can keep depression at bay
    • Freedom and independence
    • Homemaking: meal preparation, shopping, picking up medications, or delivering meals cleaning the house, laundry.
    • Personal care: help with bathing, washing hair, shaving, getting dressed, med reminders and more
    • End-of-Life Care and instructions/training for family to understand/learn the E-O-L process – invaluable.
    • Easy for family and friends to visit

“At-home care has proven to provide a better quality of life and outcomes for seniors requiring perpetual care,

and it has tremendous potential to relieve some of the burdens our healthcare system will face with today’s aging population,”

said Pamela Jung, president of Cross Country Workforce Solutions Group, a division of Cross Country Healthcare.

*Download the complete study results – Click:

Here  “Aging in Place: Assessing Seniors’ Understanding of Home Healthcare Options”

An earlier version of this newsletter was published in our Monthly Newsletter in May 2019.

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