Most elder care experts warn that it is not best to wait for a medical emergency before you start planning for senior care for an elderly loved one. Right now though, this is exactly what is happening for many senior citizens, either because they do not know that they need to start their planning early, or because their families are not doing the planning for them.
One way to help enhance the search for senior care is by using a team. The team is a great resource for senior citizens that want to make their own decisions, yet do not have the ability to educate themselves about every aspect of care. There are tough, complex choices that need to be made, and it can be quite overwhelming. Having a team of experts to help with guidance can take this difficulty away, and make the beginning of the care process that much easier to go through.
Having the right care situation and living in the right location are two of the most important parts of senior care, and they go hand in hand. Studies indicate that relocation is tough on seniors and can lead to a quicker deterioration of health and mental faculties. Staying in the home avoids relocations for as long as possible. But this is only possible if proper care is given at the home. In-home care can solve this situation in the majority of cases, but not every one. This is why having other opinions is so important. Of course most people want to stay in their home. If you are of this mindset and know that you can easily find a caregiver, why would you not choose in-home care? That doesn’t mean that it’s best, and having a sort of checks and balances system to make sure that you or your loved one is getting the best care, and not just convenient care, is giving yourself an extra safeguard.
In 2013, there were 44 million people over the age of 65, and only 1.5 million of them lived in an institutionalized setting. That’s a low number, and that’s a good thing, but not all 1.5 million of those people needed to actually be in a home. And of the 42.5 million people not in a home, some of them likely needed to be. A better way of determining the best type of care is needed, and having a trusted team to help decide what’s best increases the likelihood of great care happening.
In-home care is perfect for most. Furthermore, it’s really easy to see when it is necessary. When chores are not being done, when personal grooming begins to be difficult, or when bills are being forgotten about, in-home care is a good choice to fill in these blanks. As long as there are no health or safety dangers present, this is more than enough to keep someone in the house and nothing further is required relocation wise if it isn’t wanted. If you have a loved one that is getting older, looking to a team to help you help them in a better way is never a bad idea.
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