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There might come a time when your parents or another senior relative begins to show signs that they might need some additional care. It’s common for people to need help when they get older, especially if their health starts to deteriorate later in life. However, not everyone has the same experience, and your senior relative might not need the same care as someone else you know. Here are some examples of senior care options for you to consider, and perhaps there is the right one for your elderly relative on this list.
Home Visits
If they can still live independently for the most part but need someone to check in once a day to help them with healthcare or general household activities, such as cleaning or preparing food, you might want to consider hiring a carer who can make house visits. This way, your senior parent or relative gets to remain in familiar and comfortable surroundings, but it gives you peace of mind knowing that someone is checking in on them regularly, especially if this isn’t something you can do yourself.
Live-in Carer
If they don’t wish to leave their home, but living alone isn’t a safe option for them, a live-in carer is another option you might want to explore. They can provide the same services as mentioned above, as well as helping your relative get dressed in the morning and helping them bathe if necessary. This 24-hour care means that those who have become more dependent can continue to live in their homes safely. To enhance their livelihood you can look out for some covered patio ideas if you don’t have any. This will keep them in fresh air away from indoors.
Retirement Community
It may be the case that your senior relative is still more than capable of looking after themself, but what has been bothering them is loneliness and a sense of isolation. If their partner has passed away, they might be missing a sense of companionship. Equally, if an elderly couple lives some distance from family members and have no friends nearby, they might want to change their living situation to resolve this.
In these circumstances, looking at a retirement community or independent living facility could be ideal. They will have private living space on the grounds, but their new neighbors will be people of a similar age, making bonds easier. There are also plenty of recreational activities to take part in on-site, so they will have something to keep them occupied during the day and social events to enjoy in the evenings along the hillside landscaping and a setting sun.
Assisted Living
Assisted living is similar to a retirement community, except this kind of facility caters to senior citizens who require a little more help. Again, if your relative has been struggling to do things like dress and groom themselves each day, can’t keep on top of the housework, or hasn’t been eating well due to their limitations in the kitchen, this kind of living environment is ideal for them. They will still have their privacy as many facilities have residents staying in private rooms or apartments, but a carer will come in to help them each day with the basics.
They will also have assistance with healthcare and medicine management, and just like in the retirement communities, these facilities have social events, daily activities, and clubs and can organize day excursions for residents. You can find out more about assisted living and some other care options at Belmont Village Senior Living, which has some wonderful examples of this kind of facility.
Memory Care
Alzheimer’s disease can be very distressing not only for the patient but also for their loved ones. Seeing someone becoming increasingly confused, frightened, and unable to recall important events in their life, or unable to recognize a significant person, is heartbreaking. There are different stages of dementia, and for some people, this is a gradual progression; for others, it can be aggressive and happen quickly, but in both cases, it’s important that the individual suffering from it gets the right support. If your senior relative has started to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia, you may want to think ahead about what kind of help they will need in the future. Memory care facilities can range from having patients live in specialist homes, or there are options when they can come for short-term stays or visit a facility a few times a week.
Nursing Homes
Nursing homes differ from assisted living and retirement communities as they are designed to support seniors with declining health. While the other living options provide healthcare support on-site, nursing homes can offer more intensive care and have full-time nurses working in the home 24-hours a day. Residents who live in assisted living facilities might require general daily tasks, whereas residents in a nursing home will have more complex health conditions that involve specialist healthcare.
Move Them in With You
It can be hard to think about moving your elderly relative into a home, especially if they are reluctant to do so or if you feel that it is your responsibility to care for them yourself. While it’s a noble thing to consider, it’s important to think about how much hard work it would be to move a senior citizen into your home to care for them. If they can still do things for themselves, this might not be so bad, but you must think about the long-term and how well you would cope if their health declined in the future. It would help if you also thought about moving them into your home might affect your relationship with your partner and how comfortable they are with this arrangement. You might also need to make some modifications to your property to make it more suitable for them, such as installing support bars in the shower, for example.
It can be difficult to know what is right for your relative when it comes to choosing senior care, but many options cater to varying levels of health and needs. Make sure you take the time to research all of these options more thoroughly to help you find the right one for your elderly relative.
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