The first time you consider care for an elder family member, you will be shocked. There are many different levels of care and many acronyms and terms for various aspects of the care you can go with. In this article, we take a look at some of the basic topics that come up.
Home services are pretty much what they sound like. The elder adult is visited and assisted with the care they need. The visits can be once a day to once a week. Each visit can cover basic assistance around the home and health monitoring. Home services are designed for the elder individual that needs little assistance with daily activities.
Assisted living is a growing niche of the elder care market. In fact, it is close to becoming the dominant choice. An assisted living facility is one where a person can receive housing and some basic services such as meals and administration of health services. It is intended for the person that needs some assistance, but not full time care. Depending on the state you are in, these facilities can also be called residential care facilities and board and care facilities.
The third form of care is the classic nursing home setting. This is an environment for elder individuals that need 24 health monitoring and assistance with daily living. This is essentially a "full service" option. The decision to move to a nursing home can often be a difficult one, but usually is a wise choice.
Hospice care is designed to get you and a terminally ill elder through
the last days of life. Such a period is obviously an emotional one.
Hospice care can be done at a facility or at a private home. The goal
is to provide comfort and support to make the process as painless as
possible. If you've ever gone through such a situation, you know how
valuable hospice care can be.
Alex Jensen is with OrangeCountyCarePlacement.com - a free orange county assisted living placement service for seniors.
Article Source: DesireToRetire.com