Seniors And Veterans Looking For Comfort Have The Answer In Professionally Run Eldercare Facilities

By Mary Morgan


We go about our days doing all our routine activities of daily living such as brushing our teeth, showering, putting on deodorant, tying your shoes, dressing, preparing our meals, eating, doing laundry and cleaning our living spaces. When you are healthy, these activities are taken for granted as they are just part of every day. What happens when we break a leg, are in a car accident or slip on ice and fracture an arm? We soon learn that those everyday activities are not so ordinary or easy to do anymore. However, the seniors and veterans looking for comfort can still get it from professional care facilities.

Elder Care has progressed over the last few decades. A number of these elder care homes are now known as assisted living facilities, and many are equipped with more programs than what earlier retirement homes offered. Nevertheless, with a more fancy facility comes a steeper price tag, and for many middle-class families, these kinds of homes can be out of their reach financially.

Aging can also play a part in our decreased ability to perform these activities without thinking about them. Diseases such as Arthritis, MS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and sometimes Diabetes can also add to our frustration in not being able to do those things for ourselves that we have done since our parents gave us the gift of independence and taught us self-care.

If a person is able to transfer in and out of bed, wheelchairs, beds, and cars, with minimal assistance, then the physical demands for care might be met by family members. Another option is to hire a caregiver to take night shifts so the family can sleep. Keep in mind that some equipment for home care is covered by insurance, but other very expensive items, such as adult diapers or incontinence supplies are not. These items are costly, but go a long way to reducing home laundry duties.

Therefore, if you can't afford it, your senior family member or friend will most likely be needed to live in a more traditional elder care nursing home, where the support quality is adequate, but we understand that it may not be the standard of eldercare you would desire for your family member or friend. Furthermore, traditional senior care can be rather costly over time and quickly consume the financial resources of an average middle-class family.

While you want the best for your parents, you also need to determine what fits your financial capabilities. In the long run, additional services like dementia care could be required, and the regular service cost can be as much as renting an apartment in the city. More resourcefulness is required.

With organization, a family can divide tasks. Imagine all the things necessary to do for a baby, add on the physical demands of extra height and weight and lessened mobility, and your family will be better prepared for even difficult days.

Just because you are sending your parents to a retirement community does not mean you are abandoning them. It is highly recommended that you choose a retirement community not too distant from your own home. This will allow you to visit your parents every now and then. You can consider choosing continuing care retirement communities where healthcare is readily available.




About the Author: