Choosing the Best Assistance Option for Your Elderly Parent

It can become a difficult situation when an elderly parent requires additional assistance. The responsibilities of the elderly parent are often placed onto the adult child. Many times, the adult child has their own existing responsibilities, including children of their own, families to care for and careers that take up much of their time. Adding on the duties of elder care can sometimes be impossible. It becomes time to consider all of the care taking options and then decide on the best senior citizen home care possible. A variety of senior assistance options are available, from nursing homes to temporary in home assistance to even full time in home senior assistance. The right option for your senior parent will depend on their specific assistance needs and your abilities to assist them.

Figuring out senior support programs for elderly parents is very common. Annually 8,357,100 people receive support from the 5 main long term care service, home health agencies (4,742,500), nursing homes (1,383,700), hospices (1,244,500) residential care communities (713,300) and adult day service centers (273,200). All of these are options for your elderly parent and each of them should be carefully considered.

There are many reasons that an elderly person might need additional assistance. Medical concerns, disabilities and short term post surgery care may be needed. Most seniors actually underestimate their likely need for care and planning is never done previously. According to Age Wave, most people vastly underestimate the likelihood they will need long term care. While 27% of people age 50 plus believe they may need long term care in the future, the reality is that twice as many eventually will (70%). Regardless of the reason for additional assistance, planning is always ideal. If previous planning is not decided, the adult child is often left guessing the best care option for their elderly parent.

Senior citizen home care is a growing trend in senior care. More and more seniors are choosing to stay in the comfort of their own homes. More and more adult parents are attempting to keep their aging parents in their homes for as long as possible. Caregivers for seniors can now be organized to come directly to your senior parent?s home. The home assistance staff and caretakers have the ability to help with a variety of assistive processes, including medical care. In the past, these types of services could only be offered in an off site nursing home setting. In home nursing care has provided seniors with the ability to stay in the comfort and the privacy of their own homes.

As of February of 2015, the vast majority, 80%, of elderly people receiving assistance, including many with several functional limitations, live in private homes in the community, not in institutions. Aging adults are able to stay at home, even with multiple medical concerns. Senior citizen home care gives them this option. Also, adult children feel less guilty because they do not have to move their elderly parent and all of their things to a shared nursing home. They do not have to worry about their parent being neglected, because they have the ability to regularly continue to visit them at their home.

Senior citizen home care has changed the living options for those seniors who require additional assistance. Adult children are often left feeling responsible for their elderly parent, but often have their own responsibilities to take care of. Nursing homes have always been common choices, but many seniors do not prefer them. Adult children can now arrange to have in home assistance services provided for their parent. This choice allows them to stay in the comfort and the privacy of their own home, for as long as possible.