Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Either young or old, we love our family members dearly, and disabilities does not focus on a specific age group. We would love to feel assured that they are being taken care of the best way possible. As we all know, time does not allow us to take care of them ourselves, with business to tend to of our own, it makes it almost impossible. There are a few options to assist with this matter, but making the best choice is always in our best of interests.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

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NURSING HOMES

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Who wouldn ‘t want their relatives to be cared for within the comforts of their own home? This specific kind of care will allow the guardian to feel more at ease. Even the LPN (licensed practical nurse), and RN (registered Nurse) make home visits as well. In this option, they are also assisted with activities of daily living. The one on one attention is the only attention your loved one will receive and is a repeated occurrence versus that of a nursing home. Vitals signs are also checked in this method of care. Another positive factor in this method is that there is a high possibility that the aide can develop a great relationship with the patient, which will allow the patient to feel more comfortable. The personal relationship can benefit the patient and the patient ‘s family greatly. This can also help the aide to pin point any improvements and odd changes in the patient ‘s health. Being that they are in a well-known environment, they are more likely to do for themselves more, rather than depending on the assistant they will be provided at a nursing home. Medical literatures has identified that a family member that is allowed to be cared for in the comfort of a familiar environment is less likely to become depressed. Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Caring for the elderly is seemingly becoming an enormous challenge to the U.S healthcare system. It has become a significant public health issue whereby the elderly population requires extensive care from their families. Currently, the population of persons aged 65 years and above is estimated to be 39.6 million, which is equivalent to12.9% of the total U.S population. Research indicates that the percentages of elderly persons have increased significantly in the last decade. In 2000, the percentage of the elderly population was found to be 12.4%, so it has increased by 0.5% within a span of 10 years, and this is predicted to reach as high as 19% by 2030. This implies that the population of older persons will be about 72.1 million which will be more than twice their population in the year 2000 (Administration on Aging, 2013).

In this context, care for the elderly will serve as the most principal approach in enhancing their health and social wellbeing. Caring for the elderly people involves numerous aspects, which require comprehensive evaluation to ensure that people at old-age enjoy a high quality of life. Ordinarily, elderly people are faced with health challenges owing to their aging bodies which are susceptible to illnesses. For instance, most old people experience mental degradation leading to memory loss. In addition, some people develop loss of vision and hearing abilities while others suffer from mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. In theory, care-giving serves as the most principal requirement for the elderly for improved health. However, care-giving is usually faced with challenges owing to the complexity of decision making, availability of resources and experiences of care-givers. Ideally, elderly persons are supposed to be taken care of in a safe and healthy environment (Boehlke, 2010). Therefore, this paper will provide an overview of caring for the elderly in which it will focus on caring for elderly at home verses nursing homes and assisted living.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Forms of Care
In practice, care for the elderly persons can be provided in three different forms which differ significantly with regard to the level of care, facilities and care-givers involved. The principal care forms include home health care, nursing home care and assisted living. In most cases, home health care is used in offering care services to the elderly persons (Boehlke, 2010). It is the oldest form of care, but advancements in the nursing field have led to the emergence of nursing homes and assisted livings which have gained unprecedented popularity in the U.S owing to their reliability and availability of a wide range of care resources.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Nursing home care involves skilled nursing facilities and medical attention to elderly persons, especially those who experience medical issues such as cognitive impairment or chronic illnesses. Ordinarily, nursing homes are meant for providing care to patients to ensure efficient monitoring of their health needs, and it requires extensive nursing skills which are offered by nurses and other medical staff. In the U.S, nursing homes fall under the government health system in which Medicare and Medicaid programs are extended to cater for medical health needs of the elderly persons.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Assisted living care is a new approach in caring for the elderly population which emerged in 1990s to address challenges of nursing facilities. They are designed to provide home-like care services to the elderly persons who require custodial care. Ordinarily, assisted living facilities involve private apartments in which laundry, catering and housekeeping services are provided to the residents in an atmosphere characterized by autonomy and independence (Stevenson, 2013). It is worth noting that, assisted living facilities are not included in the national health programs which are extended to the elderly for addressing their medical challenges. However, assisted living facilities receive state licensing, and they involve State Ombudsman Programs and Private Accreditation Programs for quality monitoring in accordance to the federal Older Americans Act of 2000 (AHRQ, 2006).Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Home Care vs. Nursing Homes: Exploring the Disadvantages of Nursing Homes
If you are looking into professional senior care options for your parents, you may think that nursing homes are your only choice — the nursing home industry certainly likes to encourage that perception. The truth, however, is that you have a big decision to make between in-home senior and nursing home care. While senior care facilities are often extremely convenient, the downsides to nursing homes can encourage people to explore other options.

Some of the downsides include:

High instances of nursing home depression
Inconvenience for families visiting their relative
The rising cost of nursing facilities
Nursing homes being understaffed — and possibly unsafe or negligent as a result
Lack of personal relationship with organization and staff
Poor quality of life / monotony  Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay
Luckily, if your parents live in Lancaster or York, PA, you have access to a wide variety of nursing home facilities and in-home senior care services. Whatever style of care you think is best—you’ll find it here. We’ve broken down the discussion into a point-by point comparison of the two services: senior care facilities and in-home care.

Nursing Home and Home Care Comparison
When comparing nursing homes to in-home care, there are many variables to explore. Your situation and your parents’ needs are different from everyone else. We can only show you the factors — you make the choice: home care vs. nursing homes.

Empty bed at nursing home
Nursing Home Advantages
Nationwide there are more than 85,000 senior care facilities. After all, nursing homes do have their advantages — they couldn’t have made it as a $235 billion industry without a few upsides.

The primary benefit of nursing homes is the all-in-one convenience. As soon as your payment is deposited and your loved one moves in, the nursing home takes care of EVERYTHING. You can be involved as much or as little as you want.

The best facilities truly do offer set-it-and-forget-it convenience, so to speak. You just need to decide if that’s something you really want for your parents’ care.

Nursing Home Disadvantages
At By Your Side Home Care, we offer true in-home senior care. That means when you team with us, we match your loved one with a compassionate and experienced senior caregiver to provide in-home, one-on-one attention. The By Your Side caregiver stays for as long as your loved one needs, helping them with whatever they need — all in their own home. To ensure that we fully support our clients, By Your Side Home Care offers a variety of care options, including hourly care, 12-hour care, overnight care, live-in care, and 24-hour care.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

We don’t directly compete with nursing facilities— we offer a very different alternative. Let’s take a look at the downsides of nursing home care and see how in-home care compares.

Nursing Homes Can Cause Depression
Tragically, depression is common in senior care facilities. In fact, studies show that approximately 30% of nursing home residents are diagnosed with either minor depression or chronic depression. Compared to a 7% rate of depression in the general population, that nursing home rate should alarm anyone looking at this care option.

Nursing Facilities Can be Difficult for Families to Visit
The average accommodations in a nursing home consist of what amounts to a one-bedroom apartment. While that space is typically enough for a single person or a couple, it doesn’t provide enough space for extended family to visit and stay overnight. This can prove to be real a letdown compared to your beloved family home, which often serves as a meeting place for big families to stay together during the holidays.

Depending on how close the family has stayed geographically, this may not be an issue. However, many people see this as just another reason for parents to keep their own home — rather than trading it in for room and board at a nursing facility.

In-home caregiver at Lancaster, PA
Nursing Homes are Significantly More Expensive than In-home Care
Comparing the prices of nursing homes to home care is fairly simple.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

With over 85,000 facilities nationwide, senior living facility prices will fluctuate, but the constant is that they are ALMOST ALWAYS more expensive than in-home care.

AARP estimates that the yearly price of an assisted living facility in Lancaster, PA is approximately $128,000.

If you’ve been doing your research, that figure doesn’t surprise you in the slightest.

By Your Side Home Care can guarantee you a better price. Compared to the average cost of a nursing home, you’ll pay between one-third and one-half of the nursing home sticker price when you opt for comprehensive home care. The average cost for By Your Side Home Care is $48,000 per year.

Nursing Homes Offer Less Personal Care
Studies examining the elder care industry show that under-staffing at nursing facilities is a national issue. Some statistics highlight that approximately 90% of facilities operate understrength on a continual basis. In practice, that can look like a single staff member caring for dozens of residents.

But, what does this mean for your parents and you?

To residents in the home, it means less personal care, less attention, less time with staff members and having to wait longer to get their needs met.

For you, less personal care means that you’ll be less likely to be able to get good information on your parents’ health from professionals. In fact, talking to someone who actually knows your loved one can often be a challenge.

In-home caregivers are never understaffed. When you partner with By Your Side Home Care, your loved one enjoys one-on-one caretaker attention.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Nursing Facilities Can Be Neglectful and Less Safe
While chronic under-staffing primarily inconveniences residents, occasionally it can endanger them.

When nursing homes make the news, this is the most common reason why. Overwhelmed nursing home employees frequently neglect to provide residents medication, meals, and even assistance using the bathroom.

The risk of stories like this happening to your loved ones is a major reason people opt for in-home care. In contrast to nursing home horror stories, in-home care provides a one-on-one relationship between a caregiver and a client.

Start a Conversation about In-Home Senior Care Today
Nursing homes like to make you think that they’re the only game in town for professional senior care — that’s not true anymore. In-home care very well might be the solution you’ve been looking for.

If you’ve never considered in-home care before, a conversation is the first step you can take. Reach out and we’ll be happy to discuss your parents’ unique situation and your vision for the care they receive.

Currently, there are 6,315 assisted living communities in the U.S which comprises of 475,500 apartments. These facilities are estimated to hold an elderly population of 733,000 with an average length of stay in the facilities of 28 months. On the other hand, there are 50 federal states which regulate assisted living facilities.

Home Health Care vs. Nursing Homes and Assisted Living
It is believed that home care offers numerous advantages to the elderly and care-givers compared to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. However, it has its drawbacks especially with regard to the availability of care resources and medical attention.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

One of the most significant benefits of home care is that it promotes recovery, primarily when the elderly person is experiencing some illnesses. Research indicates that the confinement of elderly persons in the hospital environment causes traumatizing experiences, which interfere with the process of healing. In most cases, traumatizing effects are associated to medical procedures, which are involved in nursing homes and hospital facilities during the treatment of a given medical condition of the elderly persons. Therefore, the rehabilitation of elderly persons in their own homes enables them to reduce treatment trauma and realize efficient recovery from their unhealthy status. Ideally, home care provides social support, which plays a pivotal role in improving cognitive capabilities of the person’s mind and body. Wilding (2012) reports “research shows home care expedites healing – demonstrating older adults heal more quickly at home versus in a hospital or nursing home setting” (par. 7). It is also reported, that home care reduces chances of re-hospitalization for elderly persons with medical problems because healing is sustainable compared to the case in nursing homes or hospitals where healing is compromised when trauma develops.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

Secondly, home care has been found to be cost-effective because it saves money. Financial reports indicate that, home care costs for the elderly persons in the U.S accounts for one-third whereas nursing homes and assisted living cost three-thirds of the total cost of care. It is reported that home health care costs $37,440 annually compared to the cost of private and semi-private rooms in nursing homes which cost $85,775 and 75,555 thousand, respectively. Therefore, home health care is the most cost effective of all other forms of care. As such, it is ideal for addressing the issue of healthcare costs, which has led to immense crisis in the U.S healthcare system. In practice, it is quite easy to provide home care to the elderly persons by virtually all income groups because it is affordable compared to nursing homes care and assisted living which involves a hefty price tag (Wilding, 2012).Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

On the other hand, home health care offers individualized care services to the elderly persons because it is personalized. Ideally, home health care is based on individual preferences and needs, and it plays significant roles in persons with long-term illnesses because there is a high level of continuity where a unified team of care-givers provides a wide range of services to the elderly. In contrast, the element of continuity is entirely absent in nursing homes and assisted living facilities because patients stay in these facilities for a limited duration. In addition, the type of staff, environment and lifestyle are always the same in nursing homes and assisted facilities compared to the diverse social environment experienced at home care set-up.

Fourthly, home health care is associated with an advanced level of personal dignity and independence. Ordinarily, home health care allows the elderly persons to exercise maximal control and freedom because it is not restrictive in any way. This is probably the principal reason as to why 90% of the elderly population prefers aging at home. It is believed that home setting provides the elderly with opportunities to remain in the community and engage in their daily activities without hindrance. They are also able to choose their care-givers, and this allows them to experience an environment characterized with mental comfort. In addition, senior adults are not subjected to rules and regulations in their homes unlike the case in nursing homes where rules and regulations govern their daily living. As a result, their aging health problems are minimized; thus, their quality of life is improved.Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay

In contrast, nursing homes and assisted living facilities do not provide honor to the elderly, especially with regard to personal dignity and independence because their freedom is restricted by rules and regulations in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. However, assisted living facilities are designed to provide the home-like environment to the elderly persons. Stevenson (2013) states “assisted living helps seniors care for themselves while also offering access to an active and rewarding lifestyle. At the same time, when families no longer bear sole responsibility for meeting all of their loved ones’ needs, it can reduce everyone’s stress level and even improve family relationships” (par. 10).

Moreover, home health care anchors the family together and it is safe compared to nursing homes and assisted living. In practice, family bonds serve a fundamental role in maintaining emotional, mental and physical fitness in patients and elderly persons. It also allows elderly persons to receive care from their loved ones, in which they can choose their therapeutic environments which guarantees safety. As such, home health care helps in reducing some of the challenges facing care-givers including feelings of guilt. In addition, one-on-one attention aspects of home health care ensures the safety of the elderly because their needs are met adequately in a more efficient manner than it is the case in nursing homes where procedures are followed in providing care to the elderly. Moreover, home health care does not involve increased risks of infections. In most cases, confinement of elderly persons with infectious illnesses enhances the development of complicated infections. Research indicates that, 20% of patients hospitalized experience health complications associated to infections (Stevenson, 2013).

However, home care encompasses several drawbacks including the lack of supervised nutrition and intellectual stimulation. These services are provided more conveniently in nursing homes and assisted living facilities than home care setting. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the health of elderly persons. Therefore, the aspect of providing nutrition supervision in accordance to individual health needs make nursing homes ideal for elderly persons (Stevenson, 2013). Nursing Homes Verse Homecare Essay