Over 3.2 million Americans reside in nursing homes, but for many people this isn’t an option for their loved ones.
Most older adults want to stay in their homes for their elder care needs, and with the right strategies, most can.
Here are three ideas that you can try in order to keep your loved one in their home or in a home environment as long as possible:
Sharing caregiving duties.
In-home care needs can quickly grow and become expensive. Rather than use a nursing home, many people opt to pool resources and save money by sharing paid caregiving costs with a neighbor who needs the same type of in home care.
Move to a more affordable area.
If your loved one lives in a major metropolitan city, they can stay in a home environment longer if that home is in a less pricey neighborhood. The costs of living can be a lot less in suburbs or inland from either coast. Reducing the cost of living can make in home nursing care a more likely possibility financially.
Combine in-home care with adult daycare.
Around-the-clock in-home care can increase costs of elder care. As a compromise, you can supplement in home care with adult daycare. Spending several daytime hours at adult daycare can help your loved one get the support they need, but it also fulfills several other needs. Adult daycares provide elders with socialization, activities and exercise that they may miss out on if they are at home on their own. Adult daycare is not covered by standard insurance, but long-term care insurance and state Medicaid programs may cover it.
These and other options make it possible for your loved one to stay at home or in a home-like environment. A nursing home isn’t the only option.
