By: Rosemarie Tamunday Casanova

Whether you are looking for independent living, assisted living, or home care, there are many options available to you. Generally, seniors don’t get thrilled with the idea of moving away from their homes, preferring to stay independent as long as possible. Here, we will consider the options available that allow varying degrees of independence.

INDEPENDENT LIVING

This alternative offers the highest degree of independence to your parents. If they are quite capable of completing a majority of their daily tasks by themselves, then you should consider l etting them remain in their own homes.

In some situations, all that is required is a few home modifications and upgrades and with the necessary arrangements, your parents can live at home and you get to spend a lot less money than it would cost you to move them into a facility.

Bear in mind that the wish or desire of your parents to live at home is not enough to let them. A careful assessment of their capabilities is needed as discussed in previous chapters.

Unlike before when nursing homes seemed to be the only option for seniors requiring some form of help, a lot of options are now available. Now if a senior does not have special medical and health needs, they do not need to be moved to nursing homes. Any basic assistance they require can be arranged to be offered in- house.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

WHAT ELDERLY CARE IN-HOME SERVICES IS AVAILABLE?

Choosing the independent living option does not mean that your parents don’t have access to elderly care assistance.

On the contrary, there are a lot of options available and some of them include:

•Basic In-Home Assistance

Here, you can arrange with a service provider to send their staff in to assist with things like meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry, personal hygiene, toilet hygiene, medications administration, etc.

•In-Home Health Care Assistance

You can arrange to have the health needs of your parents attended to by healthcare workers. In-home senior care workers can be health aides, nurses’ aides, certified nursing assistants (CNA), etc. These healthcare workers can help with personal care, medications, and feedback on health status to primary caregivers. They can be hired directly through licensed agencies.

•Financial Planning Services

Keeping track of things like paying the telephone, gas, and home rent bills can be challenging for your parents. You can seek for financial planners to help co-ordinate your parents’ affairs regarding insurance, estate planning, income tax, retirement plans, and investments.

•Companionship Services

You can hire companions to provide psychosocial stimulation for your parents when you are not available.

Some of these services can be hired independently or through agencies, with each option having their pros and cons. Agencies are more likely to provide well- trained and licensed workers who mostly undergo continuing education. You also don’t have to worry about getting backup aides, or handling of payroll taxes as the agency can take care of this

On the other hand, independent workers are more flexible with service hours, and also with duties specifications. However, you are likely going to have a say on the choice of who gets sent to your family and the burden of becoming the accidental employer for Independent Caregivers are imposed upon you.

•Skilled Services

Rehabilitationservices such as Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy can be gotten at home. Registered Nurses, Social Workers, Speech Therapy are also available through a Medicare/Medicaid Certified Home Care Agency. Through the use of caregivers under a Licensed Home Care Agency, they can collaborate this for you and know when your parents can benefit from skilled services.

HOME CARE

An alternative to having your parents stay at home is moving them to your own house or that of a family member. This might be considerably preferable to them than moving into a facility.

They have access to the same elderly care services that are available to them just as if they were living in their own homes. On the occasions where you would not be available at home, an added service is the adult day care.

ADULT DAY CARE

Adult day care offers elders care and supervision in an organized setting during daytime. This is suitable for seniors who don’t need round-the-clock care and who at the same time, are not quite safe to stay home by themselves all day long. It can be a form of respite care to allow caregivers work during the day.

Adult day care programs provide social interaction as well as medical care if needed. They are usually offered in various facilities likes senior centers, nursing homes, and community centers.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING AND HOME CARE OPTIONS

Whether your parents remain intheir own home or move to a family member’s, there is need for the home to be made as safe as possible to prevent falls and other accidents which elderly people are prone to.

This would involve home upgrades, modifications, and installations, and while they may cost you a bit, are definitely worth your while.