It is a continuous process to assess the needs and abilities of your loved one, including care options. There is a range of options from independent living to the supportive environment of assisted living to the round-the-clock care skilled nursing facilities provide. This article and related webinar cover a wide range of care options to help you and your loved one make the best decision.
Assessing Your Loved One’s Needs
There are other times when further assistance is needed that may not be obvious at the time. Assess how well your parent or loved one functions at home. What tasks or activities do they find challenging? What are they able to do independently? Talk with them and learn what their concerns are. A family member, caregiver, or professional can assess a loved one’s health, security, and quality of life. Identifying risks and ways to reduce them is crucial to keeping your loved one safe and independent.
According to the CDC, millions of seniors fall every year. One out of every five falls results in a serious injury, such as a fractured bone or a head injury. When we’re not in the right environment or don’t know where to go—we’re one fall away from decline.
The Importance of Knowing Your Care Options
Stephanie Berman, MSN, RN, CALM, highlighted that when someone has knowledge about something, they can make better decisions. Our loved ones used to live with us as we cared for them. However, for financial and care needs, outside-the-home care may be the best alternative. Perhaps your loved one is presently residing in an assisted living community, but you’re curious about other options. Or maybe you’re doing some preplanning and want to know what possibilities are available. ETE hopes to bring clarity to your options, and the options available have changed over time.
Our Goal
Studies have shown that everything we do for people takes away that skill or deprives them of that ability. We want our loved ones to continue using their skills and living an active life while assisting them. Those delivering care should make sure that the dignity and self-respect of their loved ones are preserved in the least restrictive environment possible.
Care Options for Those 60 and Over
In this section, ETE will explain various senior care options to support you in making an informed decision.
Acute Care Models
In these care settings, an individual is receiving care in a hospital or a rehabilitation facility. A fall, surgery, or pneumonia are just a few of the scenarios. The goal of acute care is to help you get better and back on your feet as quickly as possible. Once you’re stable, you’ll be ready to move on.
Rehabilitation Hospital
Specialists of all levels are onsite daily to help you get back on track with this care option. Nurses and doctors provide around-the-clock care. In these environments, specialized physicians are also available to help you get back on the road to recovery.
Home Healthcare
This care option is when you wish to keep your loved one at home. You can either care for them yourself or hire someone to help you. You can also opt for private care, which includes nursing professionals, training, background checks, and accountability.
While caring for your loved one, a nurse can provide knowledge and teach you how to care for them. Examples are a difficult-to-heal wound or a recent diabetes diagnosis.
Let’s say you’re searching for a private caregiver who isn’t a nurse. Set clear expectations and what is needed, such as light housework, meal preparation, and reading to your senior. The care provider requires this information to provide the best possible care for your loved one.
Hospice
Hospice is a frightening phrase for most since it symbolizes the end of life. This care option is for those who have a physician’s diagnosis that their life expectancy is six months or less if their condition continues on its current course. Hospice is the only level of care that Medicare fully covers. During this time, a registered nurse is providing you with the highest degree of care.
A nurse who visits your loved one once a week to provide care is a good hospice care choice. It’s also a good idea to contact a social worker and a spiritual care coordinator. A certified nursing assistant can help with bathing and daily care responsibilities, and they can come as often as you need.
Post-acute Care Models
In these care settings, an individual receives care in a hospital but needs to go to long-term care or a skilled nursing facility. These two terms are interchangeable since they refer to the same thing—a skilled nurse is providing continuous care.
This option may be appropriate for you if you require the services of a qualified nurse. For example, suppose you’ve been admitted to the hospital and are still unable to come home. You’ll require daily therapy and other assistance until you’re able to return home.
Independent Living Community
In an independent living community (ILC), you live in an apartment in a community with people your age. With this care option, you live among your peers and friends. A doctor may visit, but you’re living independently. Medical care is not available in this setting. However, anyone can come in and care for you if necessary. You’ll need to hire a private caregiver or ask family members for assistance.
Assisted Living Community
An assisted living community (ALC) provides the same type of social model as an ILC. However, more support is available with daily tasks such as bathing, medication, and incontinence. Individuals who can no longer live alone and require more assistance but do not require extensive nursing care may benefit from an ALC. Some ALCs are designed to provide memory care in a safe and secure setting to seniors with dementia and memory loss.
Palliative Care
Palliative care suggests that the disease process a person is experiencing has no cure. While the condition cannot be cured, the symptoms can be managed, differentiating it from hospice. Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of individuals and their families, regardless of life expectancy or disease curability.
Finding the Right Care Options for Seniors
Physicians are very knowledgeable about medicine, but they may not know all the available care options. A doctor, on the other hand, can provide a referral. It’s best to start with a physician. Explain that your loved one requires additional care and that you’re unsure what to do or where to go.
Your loved one is in charge, and if something isn’t working or they want a different care choice, they can make changes. When your current care no longer meets your needs, you have the choice to switch to one that does. Most of the time, we are just unaware of our options.
Stephanie from Engagement Through Education wants to help, and it is her passion to assist you with navigating these care options. For in-depth information, please watch or listen to the accompanying webinar.
Additionally, for recommendations and information, email Stephanie at info@engagementthrougheducation.com or call 512-923-1223. No one should feel helpless or confused when it comes to care options, and ETE is here to help.
It is a continuous process to assess the needs and abilities of your loved one, including care options. There is a range of options from independent living to the supportive environment of assisted living to the round-the-clock care skilled nursing facilities provide. This article and related webinar cover a wide range of care options to help you and your loved one make the best decision.
Assessing Your Loved One’s Needs
There are other times when further assistance is needed that may not be obvious at the time. Assess how well your parent or loved one functions at home. What tasks or activities do they find challenging? What are they able to do independently? Talk with them and learn what their concerns are. A family member, caregiver, or professional can assess a loved one’s health, security, and quality of life. Identifying risks and ways to reduce them is crucial to keeping your loved one safe and independent.
According to the CDC, millions of seniors fall every year. One out of every five falls results in a serious injury, such as a fractured bone or a head injury. When we’re not in the right environment or don’t know where to go—we’re one fall away from decline.
The Importance of Knowing Your Care Options
Stephanie Berman, MSN, RN, CALM, highlighted that when someone has knowledge about something, they can make better decisions. Our loved ones used to live with us as we cared for them. However, for financial and care needs, outside-the-home care may be the best alternative. Perhaps your loved one is presently residing in an assisted living community, but you’re curious about other options. Or maybe you’re doing some preplanning and want to know what possibilities are available. ETE hopes to bring clarity to your options, and the options available have changed over time.
Our Goal
Studies have shown that everything we do for people takes away that skill or deprives them of that ability. We want our loved ones to continue using their skills and living an active life while assisting them. Those delivering care should make sure that the dignity and self-respect of their loved ones are preserved in the least restrictive environment possible.
Care Options for Those 60 and Over
In this section, ETE will explain various senior care options to support you in making an informed decision.
Acute Care Models
In these care settings, an individual is receiving care in a hospital or a rehabilitation facility. A fall, surgery, or pneumonia are just a few of the scenarios. The goal of acute care is to help you get better and back on your feet as quickly as possible. Once you’re stable, you’ll be ready to move on.
Rehabilitation Hospital
Specialists of all levels are onsite daily to help you get back on track with this care option. Nurses and doctors provide around-the-clock care. In these environments, specialized physicians are also available to help you get back on the road to recovery.
Home Healthcare
This care option is when you wish to keep your loved one at home. You can either care for them yourself or hire someone to help you. You can also opt for private care, which includes nursing professionals, training, background checks, and accountability.
While caring for your loved one, a nurse can provide knowledge and teach you how to care for them. Examples are a difficult-to-heal wound or a recent diabetes diagnosis.
Let’s say you’re searching for a private caregiver who isn’t a nurse. Set clear expectations and what is needed, such as light housework, meal preparation, and reading to your senior. The care provider requires this information to provide the best possible care for your loved one.
Hospice
Hospice is a frightening phrase for most since it symbolizes the end of life. This care option is for those who have a physician’s diagnosis that their life expectancy is six months or less if their condition continues on its current course. Hospice is the only level of care that Medicare fully covers. During this time, a registered nurse is providing you with the highest degree of care.
A nurse who visits your loved one once a week to provide care is a good hospice care choice. It’s also a good idea to contact a social worker and a spiritual care coordinator. A certified nursing assistant can help with bathing and daily care responsibilities, and they can come as often as you need.
Post-acute Care Models
In these care settings, an individual receives care in a hospital but needs to go to long-term care or a skilled nursing facility. These two terms are interchangeable since they refer to the same thing—a skilled nurse is providing continuous care.
This option may be appropriate for you if you require the services of a qualified nurse. For example, suppose you’ve been admitted to the hospital and are still unable to come home. You’ll require daily therapy and other assistance until you’re able to return home.
Independent Living Community
In an independent living community (ILC), you live in an apartment in a community with people your age. With this care option, you live among your peers and friends. A doctor may visit, but you’re living independently. Medical care is not available in this setting. However, anyone can come in and care for you if necessary. You’ll need to hire a private caregiver or ask family members for assistance.
Assisted Living Community
An assisted living community (ALC) provides the same type of social model as an ILC. However, more support is available with daily tasks such as bathing, medication, and incontinence. Individuals who can no longer live alone and require more assistance but do not require extensive nursing care may benefit from an ALC. Some ALCs are designed to provide memory care in a safe and secure setting to seniors with dementia and memory loss.
Palliative Care
Palliative care suggests that the disease process a person is experiencing has no cure. While the condition cannot be cured, the symptoms can be managed, differentiating it from hospice. Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of individuals and their families, regardless of life expectancy or disease curability.
Finding the Right Care Options for Seniors
Physicians are very knowledgeable about medicine, but they may not know all the available care options. A doctor, on the other hand, can provide a referral. It’s best to start with a physician. Explain that your loved one requires additional care and that you’re unsure what to do or where to go.
Your loved one is in charge, and if something isn’t working or they want a different care choice, they can make changes. When your current care no longer meets your needs, you have the choice to switch to one that does. Most of the time, we are just unaware of our options.
Stephanie from Engagement Through Education wants to help, and it is her passion to assist you with navigating these care options. For in-depth information, please watch or listen to the accompanying webinar.
Additionally, for recommendations and information, email Stephanie at info@engagementthrougheducation.com or call 512-923-1223. No one should feel helpless or confused when it comes to care options, and ETE is here to help.