Two
Heart Breaking Mistakes Families Make
When
Choosing A Nursing Home.
If there is a more devastating time in life than
placing a loved one in a nursing home I don't know what it is. Everyday tens of thousands of people reluctantly make the
dreadful decision to entrust the care of some one they deeply love to a nursing
home.
As a senior advocate, financial
planner and paralegal, I've seen first hand the serious mistakes families make
with nursing homes. You can avoid
these mistakes. Use the tips in this article. You’ll make better decisions.
Best of all, you will sleep more easily at night.
Mistake #1: Believing the
nursing home is the best choice for care. Most families will do
everything possible to keep their loved one at home as long as possible.
But when the physical or emotional demands begin affecting the health and
safety of the care recipient or the caregiver it’s time to consider other
options.
Check out these alternatives before deciding on a
nursing home.
-
Home Health Assistance-Home care services
generally are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A wide range of services are available – everything from house cleaning
and meal preparation to physical therapy and professional nursing care.
Medicare may pay for medically related home health care services.
Medicaid provides limited support for both Medical and non-medical home
assistance services. Services are
generally available on a part-time, intermittent, hourly, or shift basis.
The National Association of Home Care has a handy booklet on finding and
hiring home care providers. You can get it at clicking
here.
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Adult Day Care- Adult day centers are
community-based programs providing health and social services to chronically ill
adults. It’s a middle ground
between providing all the care yourself and choosing the nursing home option.
Adult day care programs allow you to keep your loved one at home.
Caregivers get much needed relief from day-to-day care giving stress. It
also allows you to keep working if you need to earn a living. You’ll most
likely have to pay for Adult Day Care services out of pocket.
-
Assisted Living- Assisted Living offers help
with non-medical aspects of daily living. Both
private and semi-private rooms are available. These facilities are best suited
for those who are mobile but have mild cognitive impairment.
Most assisted living communities offer meals as well as social,
recreational and cultural activities. For an additional fee some facilities also
provide personal laundry service, assistance with dressing and bathing,
medication reminders and assistance with eating.
Costs range from $1, 200 to $5,000 per month depending on services
required. Medicare will not cover
costs related to Assisted Living. In some states Medicaid or other funding
sources are available to help pay part of the cost for care.
-
Board and Care Homes-A
Board and Care Home provides supervision and some personal care for
senior adults, but few onsite medical services.
The home is private and residential. Many times it’s a single
family home converted to hold 2 to 20 residents. It’s like an assisted
living facility only smaller. Costs
range fro $500 to $3,000 per month. Medicare
does not cover costs related to Board and Care Homes. Check your state to see if Medicaid will cover some of
the costs.
Mistake#2: Choosing a nursing home too
quickly. Ok, you've decided a nursing
home is the best type of facility to care for your loved one.
Don't choose too quickly. Visit
multiple facilities before making a decision.
It is time consuming, but it’s necessary.
For some families making this decisions is the
single largest financial decision they ever make…greater than buying a home or
paying for college. And it affects the health and well being of someone you love
who can’t make this life changing decision on his or her own.
Too many families remove that pressure by
accepting the first nursing home they find. That could be a big mistake.
The solution: Identify several facilities to
inspect. Just like individuals,
each long-term care facility has its particular strengths and weaknesses,
interest and capabilities. Your
mission is to find a nursing home that has the staff, equipment, skill, desire,
culture and location to provide the care required.
It’s no small task. But it can be done.
--
Martin Sabel understands the problems of finding
quality nursing home care. He's
helped 2217 families navigate the nursing home maze
to find the right care at the right
price. His "How To Find The Right Nursing Home
Toolkit" is the most comprehensive
single source downloadable online guide available.
Check it out at
Nursing-Home-Tips.Com.
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