Deciding between Home Health Care and Assisted Living

Realizing the need for assisted care can be difficult, both on the care recipient and their family. There are many choices to be made and details to take care of during this process. Among the choices to be made is the decision between using in-home health care assistance or moving to an assisted living facility. Both have their benefits; it's a matter of making the right decision for you and your family.

It may seem that it is best to take the route of in-home care in order to least disturb the current routine. While in-home care has many advantages, one must also take into consideration the daily needs of the care recipient including medical needs. Can the home health care provider adequately supply for those needs or are those needs best met in an assisted living facility? In a lot of cases, a family may think that in-home care is best, but an objective evaluation of the situation may determine that the care recipient's needs may be better met in an assisted living facility.

In-home care allows the care recipient to remain in their home (or that of a family member) surrounded family and possessions that are familiar and comforting. A home care aide visits the home and can provide varying levels of care and assistance. This assistance can include house cleaning, shopping, transportation to appointments, medication, and other medical-based assistance.

Assisted living care involves moving the patient to a care facility. Assisted living facilities are equipped to deal with all aspects of elder care and the facilities are safe and comfortable. Assisted living homes have a variety of skilled staff members available 24/7 to attend to every need of their residents, including medical personnel who are equipped to handle the majority of the medical needs of the residents. Assisted living facilities are very different from the image that most people have of nursing homes. They are comfortable and home-like. Most have a variety of programs and services that can be specifically tailored to each individual resident based on their needs and altered over time as the resident's needs change.

Cost may be another factor in deciding what type of care to choose. Cost is dependent on many things including location, services required, and the care recipient's medical conditions and prognosis. When contacting assisted living facilities and home care providers in your area, get cost estimates to help make the best decision based all factors of care.

There is no right option regarding elder care. One must consider all aspects of care, cost, and future prognosis when making the decision between an assisted living facility and home care. Above all, be comfortable and happy with the choice.