Assisted Living vs. Home Care

People who are considering care for a loved one often find themselves weighing their options between a facility setting such as Assisted Living or home-based care such as Home Care. With so many Assisted Living facilities popping up all over the place it might feel like they're the only option. In reality, the reason you're seeing more and more Assisted Living facilities is because they're a convenient way to care for massive amounts of people, all under one roof. Although facility-based care may be appealing to some, it's has many drawbacks that should be considered before moving forward with care.

Aging At Home Is Preferred

Aging at home is better than a facility During a recent study through AARP, they found that 75% of Americans would rather age in their own home and avoid a facility setting all together. That may sound like a staggering statistic. However, when you think about it, home is where we feel most comfortable. Home is always a familiar surrounding and grants you the privacy you deserve. Often times visiting a facility can make friend or family feel uncomfortable, so they stop showing up. Over time this leads to depression.

Spread Of Disease

Disease spreads easily in assisted living Living through the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 has proved just how quickly deadly diseases can ravage through facility-based care settings. Even locking down facilities proved ineffective at containing the spread. With so many aging and sick people under one roof, it's inevitable that illnesses will spread quickly throughout an entire building. Often infecting not only residents, but also the staff who are there to help. Staff shortages in an entire building of sick residents is not a pretty picture. Certainly, not something you'd want to subject your loved one to. Receiving care at home greatly limits the risk of being exposed to illness.

Moving Is Stressful

Moving to assisted living is stressful We've all been there before, moving into a new home or apartment. Even at a young age moving is one of life's most stressful events. As we age, we become more set in our ways, which makes major life changes an extremely difficult process. The stress of moving at an older age can easily bring on new health problems that never would have occurred otherwise. Also, for individuals who are confused, it's very common for their confusion to spike dramatically upon moving to a new setting. Staying home allows seniors to age calmly and gracefully.

No One On One

Limited personal care at assisted living Every single facility-based care setting operates on the same general principle. That is, one caregiver is responsible for taking care of many residents simultaneously. What happens if you need help getting to the restroom, and your caregiver is busy taking care of another resident? You guessed it, you'll just have to try and hold it until someone can give you a hand. Not even the highest-level care package available through an Assisted Living facility can provide dedicated personal care. In fact, if your needs become too great you might even get kicked out of an Assisted Living facility. Home care is the only care model that can provide dedicated one on one support all the time. You'll never need to wait to get the care you need.

No Going Back

Assisted living is a one way street Transitioning to a facility is a major step and often requires selling your home in the process. This all or nothing approach locks many individuals into something they may not be 100% happy with. From a financial aspect, once you move into a facility you can be sure the costs will only rise as your needs change. This results in bills that can easily tower over the cost of home care. If you don't want to get locked into expensive and impersonal facility care, home care is the perfect solution. That's because home care can be tailored to your exact needs, which ends up being less impactful on your pocketbook.

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