If you have an aging parent or loved one, whether they’re a part of your direct family or not, needing some additional help completing weekly and daily tasks around the house, it can be difficult knowing what to do next. There is only so much you can do before you may need to seek out additional support due to work, school, and other life responsibilities.
Once you decide that additional help is needed in ensuring the safety of your loved one, you can begin exploring your options.
At Home Helpers Home Care of Northern VA , we commonly work with families that are at this same fork in the road, needing to decide between placing their loved one in an assisted living facility or continuing care directly in the home provided by a local caregiving agency.
How Much Care Does My Loved One Need?
When comparing the two, it’s essential to determine how much and what type of care is needed for your loved one at the moment and what may be coming in the future. Writing these needs down will help you get started. Some needs your aging loved one may be having trouble with include:
- Meal preparation
- Light housekeeping
- Medication reminders
- Getting to doctor appointments
- Running errands
- Grooming and self-care
- Getting around space
- Using the restroom
Your loved one could always require some sort of social simulation and companionship, outside of what you already give them, of course! Finding that additional friend in a caregiver can be a significant mental health boost and positive light in their daily or weekly routine for your senior loved one.
Does Your Loved One Require Specialized Care?
If you have a loved one who has Alzheimer’s or dementia, you understand the challenges that present themselves daily. It’s crucial to find a provider with caregivers or other staff trained in delivering this kind of specialized care.
What’s The Difference Between Assisted Living & In-Home Senior Care?
While both choices are safe and allow your loved one to access the care they need, the two are not exactly the same. Today, our professional Reston caregivers are here to provide a clear answer to the differences between the two and why live-in care for elderly loved ones continues to be the best choice.
Assisted Living Facility
Assisted living facilities are places where seniors live together to get the care they need and create a community with each other. Most of the time, senior care plans at assisted living facilities will include an apartment-style living arrangement, including a bathroom, bed, living area, and kitchenette. There are usually dozens of shared common spaces and a dining hall for daily meals.
Like a hospital environment, assisted living facilities don’t usually offer prolonged direct one-on-one for senior care, with most of the help occurring in the morning, at night, and as needed during the day. If more care is needed while your loved one is at a senior living facility, you may need to find additional caregiving services to assist with daily tasks outside of the facility’s abilities.
Some pros of assisted living communities include:
- Creates a community where your loved one can socialize and participate in events
- Provides a chance for you and your immediate family to focus on a relationship with the senior instead of just providing care
- Gives your loved one more free time to participate in activities, hobbies, and facility events
For most families, the major drawback of assisted living is the price tag that comes with it, especially when compared to receiving caregiver help for the elderly directly in the home. Plus, elders who may not enjoy group environments may not enjoy living at this time of community.
24/7 In-Home Care
While the more affordable price is a benefit of 24/7 in-home care provided by live-in caregivers, there are a host of other benefits that come along with choosing to keep your aging family member living at home. In-home care trades in the local community and apartment-style living for the home they’re most comfortable living in surrounding by the people they love and a certified, professional caregiver.
Some benefits of choosing in-home care for your loved one include:
- Allows professional Caregiver to provide one-on-one care, tailored to meet your loved one’s specific needs and schedule
- Your loved one gets to remain in the comfort of their own home
- You’ll have the chance to meet your Caregiver beforehand to make sure they are a great match
- Having one or two dedicated caregivers, instead of a rotation staff with constant new faces
- Friendly and compassionate companionship to talk with, partake in hobbies with, and more
Private home care helps protect your loved one, especially if they are prone to falls, strokes, or generally are not as safe as you’d like them to be on their own. Nothing can beat one-on-one, in-home senior care provided on a plan personalized to meet the needs of your loved one and the rest of your family and friends.
The Winner: In-Home Care
While both options offer one-on-one senior care, whether a few times a week, every day, or around the clock, direct in-home care continues to be the better choice. This will help you have the peace of mind you need to ensure that your loved one has the dependable, compassionate, and quality care they deserve.
Why Choose Home Helpers Home Care of Northern VA ?
Home Helpers Home Care of Northern VA is an excellent choice for families who are searching for one on one in-home senior care, as well as caregiver help for patients with dementia or other areas where specialty care is needed. Home Helper’s Caregivers are experienced with caring for clients with these particular needs and receive ongoing training to support the changing needs of their clients.
Additionally, our team understands that things can get overwhelming and stressful at times, so we’re available to create a schedule to give you your time back to breathe, as well as your family and friends! The respite care we provide continues to be our client’s favorite service, as it helps improve our client’s whole family, not just the senior receiving care.
If you’re looking for a live-in caregiver for the elderly, or you’re still not entirely sure which choice may be right for you, reach out to our professionals – we’ll learn more about you and your needs to help you in the research process of getting senior care for your parents, grandparents, or other loved one.
Are you searching for “caregivers that can live with me”? Our Reston caregiver agency can help. Give us a call at (703) 991-1462 or contact us online to schedule your free in-home senior care assessment.
