When elderly loved ones reach a point where the family has difficulty caring for them, it can be overwhelming to wade through all the senior care choices to find the right place. Senior care placement services are there to help people find the right care options according to several factors.
1. How are you planning to cover the costs of care?
The majority of senior citizens who need to be placed in a facility or center for assisted living will have some form of medical insurance that will help cover the costs. However, not all of them will have insurance that covers all of the costs, and some will be paying for the costs of care completely from private funds. In any case, these are things that the senior placement representative will be asking about because these factors will have an impact on what places will be viable options. They can ensure that wherever your loved one lives, their finances are in order.
2. Does your loved one have issues with their memory?
Memory care is often mistakenly lumped in with regular nursing care for the elderly, but it is a unique service offering that not all nursing homes or assisted living centers are equipped to handle. The placement representative will ask about any former diagnoses related to either Alzheimer's or dementia, and they will help get an in-depth idea of what kind of care your loved one will need.
3. Where do you or most of the family members live?
Of course, the locations nearest family will be the most preferred. If you are working with a placement service for a parent and you have other siblings, it will be important to consider how accessible the loved one will be according to the location of everyone that will be visiting.
4. What daily living activities can your loved one handle on their own?
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are frequently brought up during a consultation with a senior placement service. ADLs are the typical activities of daily life, such as grooming, bathing, and getting dressed. The representative will need to know what your loved one can do on their own, and what they may need help with so they can cater to each patient's needs. Even though some will have varying degrees of care that can be adjusted according to the patient, knowing the ADL capabilities will help narrow down the choices rather drastically.
In the words of the Beatles "we get by with a little help from our friends." When your friend is an older adult, you cannot always provide that help yourself. They might need skilled nursing care or around-the-clock supervision that you're just not equipped to offer. That's where nursing homes and assisted living facilities can come in handy. These businesses make sure your loved one gets the help they need, provided by experienced and kind employees. You can learn more about assisted living and nursing facilities in the articles offered here. We think that after you read and explore, you'll be more confident that this is the help your friend needs.