Long Beach In-Home Care versus Nursing Homes: Which is Best for Your Loved One?

If you're trying to decide whether to either hire a Long Beach in-home care provider or to place an elderly parent in a nursing home facility, the decision can feel overwhelming. You have many questions and numerous options to explore. These choices can significantly impact your life or that of your elderly parent. While some individuals prefer to receive in-home care, others prefer to live in a nursing home or assisted living facility where they receive 24/7 care. Understanding the difference between Long Beach in-home care and the care provided by a nursing home can help you decide what option is the right fit for you, your elderly parent, and your financial situation.
 

Nursing Home Care
Many major medical insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, provide coverage for nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Nursing homes offer 24/7 care to their residents and help them complete daily tasks such as bathing, eating, and grooming. Nursing homes vary in size and some may have over one hundred residents at a time. Care inside a nursing home means meals throughout the day, medical services, laundry, cleaning, housekeeping, and other services.

Costs Associated with Nursing Homes
Before making any decision regarding which care situation is right for your elderly parent, you should first consider the financial aspect of your decision. Costs for nursing homes, even those covered by insurance, vary but usually come with a hefty price tag. While some insurance plans only cover temporary housing—such as twenty days—others cover the costs as long as a physician states the individual needs care. Insurance can leave an individual with a bill anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of the cost, which is not favorable for even the well-to-do.

Long Beach In-Home Care
In-home care offers private, family-centered care that fits the needs of your elderly parent and her loved ones. In-home care can be provided by a certified home health aide or even a family member. This individual provides similar services as that of a nursing home, except that they are performed in your elderly parent's house. Unlike the nursing home environment, the Long Beach in-home caregiver also serves as a companion. She may take the individual to family events, social gatherings, and doctor's appointments, in addition to providing a wide variety of in-home care such as bathing, going to the bathroom, dressing, cooking, laundry, cleaning, and pet care—depending on the terms of the contract.

Costs Associated with Long Beach In-Home Care
Most insurance carriers do not cover in-home care. Non-medical home care workers can cost $15 to $20 per hour, while medically certified workers can range $25 to $45 per hour. If your elderly parent needs specialized medical equipment, she will have to cover the costs or a percentage of those costs as well. Long Beach in-home care is often more affordable and more desirable than nursing home care, and the convenience and comfort associated with it is preferred by most individuals and their family members—regardless of price.

Which is Better?
Although the financial aspect of your decision is important, you must also consider how your decision will impact the daily life and emotional stability of your elderly parent. Discuss the options with the individual who needs care. Does she need 24-hour care? Does she have cognitive or physical limitations? Trained Long Beach in-home care professionals can care for individuals with dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and many other afflictions—all in the comfort of their own home.
 

Posted in: Elderly Care