One of the most difficult decisions many people will make is deciding when and where to get help for ageing parents, relatives, or friends. There are so many options out there. Do you help your loved one to locate an in-home care or do you find a nursing home to manage everything for them? As a responsible son or daughter, you want to do what’s best for your loved one, but you’re also constrained by time and money. How do you choose the right option for your parents, relatives, or other loved ones?
Here are five reasons to choose in-home care over a nursing home.
One-on-one interaction
At a nursing home, many residents are cared for by a single caregiver. They have a set list of patients they provide care for, and they make rounds each day to ensure each nursing home resident gets the care they need. While that model works for some, others think in-home care provides the best ratio. You or your loved one gets direct, one-to-one care in every interaction. In-home care brings a single caregiver into your loved one’s home on a daily or weekly basis to take care of their needs.
Does you loved one wait their turn for the attention and care of a few staff members in a nursing home? Or does your loved one expect the undivided attention of a single caregiver who comes to their home and helps them with daily activities and more.
Comfort in familiar places
All of us, regardless of age and ability, feel more comfortable in our home. It’s familiar, you know where everything is, and you have a certain amount of independence by maintaining your own home.
Nursing homes, on the other hand, offer no control to residents over what, how, and when activities or care happens. They wait for care to be given to them on someone else’s schedule.
And you can’t recreate the comfort of a familiar couch, kitchen, or bedroom in a nursing home. Some may try, but there is no comparison.
Live longer
Try as they might, nursing homes can’t compete with the health advantages of living at home. Patients tend to live longer when they stay in their own homes compared to live in a nursing home. Part of this result shows up in patients who recuperate at better rates at home compared to those in rehab facilities or nursing home.
When patients are comfortable in their own home, they recover faster. In fact, those who recover at home, have fewer incidences of extended nursing home care than those who stay at home.
More cost-effective
This may seem counter-intuitive, but keeping your loved one in his or her own home may be more cost-effective than paying for full-time care in a nursing home. Nursing homes have tremendous overhead to help pay for the intense care and all the various equipment their residents need. If your loved one doesn’t need access to specialized equipment regularly, in-home care makes more financial sense.
If your loved one doesn’t need round-the-clock care and expensive machines to monitor his or her health, you’re better off paying for in-home care. You won’t be paying for expensive equipment and tests you don’t need regularly.
Better meals
Most nursing homes strive constantly to provide healthy, enjoyable meals to their residents. However, there’s something to be said for a home-cooked meal with ingredients your loved one craves. One of the biggest mistakes caregivers of parents, relatives, or friends make is assuming that food is a non-issue.
Nursing homes must prepare foods for a large population. They can’t afford to try a variety of cuisines or to experiment with comfort foods. They need to feed the masses, so food is generally bland and uninspired.
When a caregiver comes to fix your loved one’s meals, they can personalize each meal to their likes, tastes, and preferences. When you’re cooking for one, it’s easier to target what they like to eat than when you’re cooking for dozens or hundreds of individuals.
Final thoughts
Don’t rule out in-home care when it’s time to help your parents, relatives, or friends. You may find it’s more cost effective, comfortable, and convenient for everyone to have someone provide in-home care instead.
If you’re uncertain about the best scenario for your loved one, contact
My Guardian at 02 9335 7555. We’ll walk through all your options and help you choose the one that best meet your preferences and your budget.
