The golden years are not always as easy and comfortable as they sound. As your parents’ age, they will need your help more than ever before. Senior care is a broad term used to describe different types of services that help seniors live independently in their own homes for as long as possible.
There are many services available depending on the unique needs of the senior in question. In this article, we learn about some of the most common types of senior care services and how to help your loved one find the best one for them. Read on for more…
Home Care
Home care is one of the most common types of senior care. A trusted homecare service will take care of your loved one in their home by providing a variety of different services, including meal preparation, grooming, light housework, medication reminders, and companionship.
Many home health aides who work with home care of Philadelphia providers are also trained in basic medical care and can provide assistance with wound care, blood pressure monitoring, and other common tasks. Home health aides are paid by the hour, so your loved one can work with the aide to decide how many hours they need. Most aides work a 5-day workweek with one day off.
Assisted Living
Assisted living is a type of residential care where seniors live in an apartment-style or senior living community setting with around-the-clock care. Its facilities provide three meals a day and housekeeping services.
Senior living communities are often open 24 hours a day and have on-site doctors and nurses who can administer medications and provide emergency care as needed. They will also provide a wide range of in-house assistance such as Senior Living Dining Services or housekeeping to ensure that the residents are looked after round the clock. When choosing an assisted living community, find out how many staff members work on each shift and what their qualifications are.
Your loved one’s health and safety should be the top priority. Assisted living residents typically pay a monthly fee that covers room and board (this might also include a contribution to help the facility cover the cost of maintenance from people like these Hospitality Services) but doesn’t include medical expenses.
Adult Day Care
Adult day care is another residential care option where your loved one goes to a facility for a few hours each day. It centers offer social activities, meals, and assistance with daily living tasks such as grooming and medication reminders.
It isn’t residential care, so your loved one comes home at the end of the day. But adult day care provides the level of care and supervision needed by many seniors with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, which is a decline in mental abilities that often precedes dementia.
Adult day care is a great option for seniors who need some help with daily tasks but don’t need full-time residential care.
Respite Care
Respite care is short-term care provided to your loved one so you can get a break from the daily responsibilities of caregiving. It can be provided by family members, friends, or professionals.
You may want to consider respite care if your loved one is living with you and you feel you can’t provide the level of care they need. Or you may want to consider respite care if you are caring for an ailing loved one at home but need a break from the constant caregiving responsibilities.
Respite care can be provided by visiting nurses, home health aides, adult day care staff, or other caregivers. Or you can hire a caregiving agency that can send a caregiver to your loved one’s home. Adult day care centers often offer respite care in the afternoons and on weekends when the center isn’t open.
Continuing Care Communities
A continuing care community (CCRC) is a type of residential care where your loved one can live as long as they want in a luxury apartment-style setting. When your loved one moves into the facility, they pay a fee based on their expected lifespan.
Continuing care communities offer an array of services including meals, housekeeping, socialization, and medical care. Beyond that, the level of available services varies from community to community.
The level of care provided and the fee your loved one pays depends on the level of care they need. When considering a continuing care community, ask about the fee schedule and how it’s calculated.
You also want to make sure the community is reputable and that residents are happy and receive good care.
Final Words
There are many types of senior care available to help seniors live more comfortably and independently in their own homes. Choosing the right type of care can be a daunting task. But with this guide, you should be able to make an informed decision.
We hope that you find this guide helpful. And that you are able to make the right decision for your loved one.
