Aging in Place vs. Nursing Home Care: Important Factors to Make the Right Choice

1. Memory Care Assisted Living CommunitiesMemory care is a specialized form of assisted living that focuses on residents with memory-related challenges. These communities offer: Secured Environments: Prevent wandering and ensure safety. Trained Staff: Professionals experienced in dementia care. Structured Activities: Programs designed to promote cognitive function and social engagement. Memory care facilities are ideal for individuals who need daily assistance and a structured routine. 2. Skilled Nursing Facilities with Memory CareFor individuals requiring medical supervision in addition to memory care, skilled nursing facilities often provide: 24/7 Medical Assistance: Nurses and doctors available to manage complex health conditions. Specialized Therapies: Physical, occupational, and speech therapies tailored to residents with memory loss. Comprehensive Care Plans: Addressing both cognitive and physical health needs. These facilities cater to residents with advanced dementia or coexisting medical conditions. 4. Adult Day Care CentersAdult day care centers offering memory care services provide daytime support for individuals while allowing them to return home in the evening. Key benefits include: Respite for Family Caregivers: Time for caregivers to rest or focus on other responsibilities. Engaging Activities: Socialization opportunities, games, and exercises tailored to memory care needs. Professional Oversight: Ensuring safety and well-being during the day. This option is ideal for families who want to balance professional care with at-home living. 5. In-Home Memory Support ServiceFor those who prefer to remain in their own homes, memory support can be brought directly to the individual. In-home services may include: Caregiver Assistance: Help with daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation. Cognitive Engagement: Memory exercises and stimulating activities provided by trained professionals. Safety Modifications: Recommendations for making the home safer for individuals with dementia. In-home support allows for familiar surroundings while ensuring proper care. 6. Community and Nonprofit OrganizationsMany local organizations and nonprofits offer memory support programs, including: Support Groups: Providing emotional and practical guidance for families and caregivers. Educational Workshops: Teaching coping strategies and care techniques. Day Programs: Offering structured activities for individuals with memory challenges. These services are often more affordable and widely accessible.

Many families may be reluctant to hire home care partners because of widely held, but frequently untrue impressions of what home caregiving services are like based on things theyve heard. But the truth is, much of that talk is inaccurate. The truth is home caregiving services often improve quality of life for both seniors and their families. Lets separate fact from fiction with these four myths about home caregiving services, debunked.1. Myth: Home Caregiving Services Are Too ExpensiveOften, families are reluctant to use home caregiving services because they believe it would be too expensive. And they are often unaware that insurance covers many necessary home caregiving services.  In reality, home caregiving services are far less expensive than nursing home care. Comparatively, it makes good financial sense to opt for home caregiving services. Plus, home caregiving services allow your beloved senior to stay in a familiar place surrounded by people who love them, and that has so many benefits in terms of comfort and ease for your loved one.2. Myth: Home Caregiving Services Are Inferior to Assisted Living or Nursing Home CareAnother common myth about home caregiving services is that they are inferior to assisted living or nursing home care. As a result, families often believe that their loved one will receive better or more consistent care in a nursing home. But this isnt the case.  Indeed, home caregiving services allow you to be involved and aware of the services your loved one receives in a way that is different if your beloved senior resides in a facility. Furthermore, home caregiving staff are fully trained, certified and bonded and have extensive qualifications. And importantly, your senior loved one will receive undivided attention rather than being one of many patients in a facility. 3. Myth: Home Caregiving Services Place Seniors at RiskFamilies often worry that choosing home caregiving services will place their beloved seniors at risk. In reality, however, home caregiving services can often be safer than assisted living or nursing home options. Since you are in charge of the staff you select, you can fully screen them and choose a person that best fits your loved ones needs, personality and expectations.  Your loved one isnt exposed to the same risks as they would be in communal living. The COVID-19 pandemic was a tragic example of just how unsafe assisted living and nursing home facilities can be. Indeed, when seniors live in large groups and often without adequate numbers of staff, it can be foster an environment where communal diseases spread. Thats something your senior loved one is far less likely to experience when living in their own home.4. Myth: I Should Do All Caregiving MyselfCare partners too often place a heavy burden on themselves by attempting to do 100% of the care their senior loved one needs. This leads to burnout and can strain family relationships at a time when both you and your senior loved one would prefer to enjoy quality time together. And often, this is a result of believing the myth that your senior loved one wont be comfortable or safe with anyone else. However, this isnt the case. In fact, home caregiving services give both you and your senior loved one a much-needed break. And because you choose your care partner, you can ensure that both you and your beloved senior are comfortable with the person providing their care.   At Celtic Angels, Inc., we take your beloved seniors safety and comfort seriously. Thats why we fully vet and train each of our care partners, and we always tailor care to your unique situation. If you are interested in exploring home caregiving services for your senior loved one, we encourage you to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation meeting with our care partners in your home. Please visit us at www.celticangelsinc.com

In health care settings, the body gets medical attention, but the mind and soul matter, too. Older adults in medical care face a battery of health questions, but too often the most consequential one goes unasked and unanswered: What does a good day look like for you today?Medicare requires people to receive a spiritual assessment within their first five days of admission into hospice. Many states allow a nurse to conduct the initial spiritual assessment, but I think it helps both the person and the health care provider for the assessment to be done with someone who has theological training. Many have been certified in clinical pastoral education, or CPE. Nurses can get so focused on the technical to-do lists of medical work  the measurements, the tests, the drug regimens that it can be hard to make time for the issues that matter most to the living human, namely, their happiness, peace and contentment.  As a spiritual care provider with 17 years in senior care facilities, and as a chaplain in the Army National Guard and Air Force National Guard, I have counseled hundreds of people in the final days of their lives.  For older adults and their families, one of the most valuable resources is also little-known a Medicare option that provides spiritual counseling for people in hospice. Longing for ConversationToo often older adults in care are being talked at, not listened to. Many times, I've found that people in the last chapter of life want to discuss their path to the end more than their medical professionals and, especially, more than their loved ones.  It often helps to have that discussion with a professional who is trained to hear them, and, if requested, to comfort and advise them.  RecommendedOpinion: Why I Went on Hospice Even Though I'm Not Dying | Personal PerspectivesThe code of ethics for the leading chaplain and spiritual care associations all prohibit proselytizing. A spiritual care provider should be able to work with someone on their own terms, no matter their beliefs. The United States may be turning more secular, but the fact remains that older adults are the most faith-affiliated of any demographic age group.This initial spiritual meeting is likely to be about the basics: Is the person religious? What is their support system? Will a certain faith-based ritual bring meaning or comfort? Do they have a preferred faith leader? Or is a secular discussion a better fit for the person's beliefs?