Assisted Living vs Nursing Home: How To Choose The Right One For Your Aging Parents

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Age comes with its fair share of challenges, among them chronic diseases. If your parents suffer from illnesses like high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, or Parkinson's, you may have to take them to a nursing home or opt for assisted living. Choosing between the two can be confusing, but this guide will fill you in on the essentials to consider. 

What Is Assisted Living?

Assisted living is made possible in residential places where older people or those with disabilities get help carrying out daily activities. Mostly, the residents stay in their rooms or apartments but share some standard sections. They also provide medical support when needed, although that's not the primary service they offer to seniors. 

The staff in these facilities can assist your aging parents with laundry, cooking, toileting, and other personal care chores. Additionally, your parents get 24-hour supervision and access to social and recreational facilities such as indoor saltwater pools or golf simulators. Luxurious assisted living facilities like the Newport Beach Community Center have these and more amenities. However, you may need to pay extra to use such facilities or get more individualized care.

What Is A Nursing Home?

Nursing homes are also residential facilities that provide all-day supervision, consistent care, assistance, and support to older adults and those with disabilities. Their services are more medical than assisted living. Residents in nursing homes can also get rehabilitation services for social, emotional, physical, or other medical needs caused by chronic physical or mental health conditions. 

Unlike assisted living which provides apartment-like living conditions, nursing homes are more like institutions due to the hospital-level attention given. They offer high care levels for individuals who don't necessarily require hospitalization. 

How To Choose A Suitable One 

Below are guidelines that'll help you when choosing a suitable senior home facility for your aging parents:

1. Understand How Much Help They Need 

It's essential to analyze how much help your aging parents require before you can decide on a senior care facility. It helps in the decision process. First, list down everything your aging parent needs help with, both daily and monthly. Doing so lets you see the bigger picture and settle for the best care services. 

Next, make a comparison of the daily and monthly lists. By comparing, you can distinguish the tasks your aging parent will need additional help with from those they can carry out themselves. If your list implies that they need help with most daily activities, this indicates that a nursing home would be best for them. However, if they can carry out some routine activities but need extra help, assisted living facilities are an excellent choice to settle for.

(Photo : Adobestock)

2. Know The Pros And Cons Of Each  

Knowing the difference between an assisted living facility and a nursing home is crucial. It gives you a deeper understanding of how they operate. With this information, you can narrow down to a suitable choice. Before singling it out, you need to check each facility's advantages and disadvantages. 

The advantages of a nursing home facility include the following:

• Direct care, depending on their preference and needs 

• Lower costs as per the hours of care and the skill involved 

• A family chooses a caregiver of choice 

• Flexible care arrangements when need be  

On the other hand, the cons include the following:

• High cost where 24/7 care is needed 

• Constant family involvement and planning needed 

• Isolation possibility, which can lead to depression   

• The need to buy household supplies and catering for maintenance  

Regarding assisted living, the advantages are as follows:

• More affordable 24/7 supervision 

• More relationship needs than care needs 

• Good social interactions 

• No worries about hiring and rescheduling caregivers  

Some cons of assisted living include the following:

• Your aged parent may not be happy staying in a group living community 

• Quality of care may depend on the staff 

• One-on-one care may not be consistent due to frequent staff changes  

Weigh the pros and cons of each senior care facility and settle on the one that best suits your parents' needs.

3. Consider The Financial Situation  

Before choosing a senior care facility, sticking to your budget is vital to avoid running out of money. Run a cost check on each facility. The costs related to assisted living and nursing homes differ according to services, location, and the level of care given. Nursing homes, however, typically cost almost twice as much as assisted living. 

The best thing to do when doing a cost analysis is to call the administration to know the actual prices of the facilities you'd like to have your aging parent in. That way, you'll know how much it'll cost to get your aging parent's care.

Also, have a comparison cost list for assisted living care and one for a nursing home. If a cost analysis becomes a burden, ask a trusted friend for help or get a financial advisor.

Conclusion  

Choosing the best facilities for your aging parents requires a cost analysis, a needs analysis, and an understanding of the differences between the two facilities. It makes it easier to choose the best care facility for them. Whether you take your parents to a nursing home or assisted living facility, your joy would be to see them live a comfortable life, free from the typical stresses aging diseases bring.