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In-Home Care or Assisted Living in Bedford: Which Fits Your Needs?

Assisted Living or In-Home Care

From meal prep to self-care to cleaning, is your loved one having trouble keeping up? Many seniors begin to have a hard time with daily living. While they don’t need full-time nursing, they do need some assistance with day-to-day tasks. For many families, this means deciding between two options: in-home care or assisted living. The right choice for your loved one depends on several factors. From costs to senior services, asking some of the following questions can help you feel confident in your choice.

What senior care services are included?

You may not know that in-home care and home health aren’t the same things. In-home care focuses on non-clinical help with daily living. On the contrary, home health is focused on providing health care services. With in-home care, your loved one gets help for a certain number of hours each week or day. Common services include:

  • Meal prep and eating
  • Help to get dressed
  • Bathing or toileting
  • Grooming
  • House cleaning
  • Medication help

Assisted living communities provide several of the same services as in-home care. Many communities also offer different levels of help to fit your loved one’s needs. Unlike in-home care, assisted living also includes numerous on-site amenities. For example, assisted living often offers:

  • Staff on-site around-the-clock
  • Rides to appointments
  • Upkeep of apartments and grounds
  • Some utilities included
  • Daily social events
  • Prescription refill help
  • On-site beauty salons or other personal services
  • Fitness programs

What are the costs?

From the number of hours to specific care fees, many factors affect the cost of in-home senior care. For those who only need a few hours of help each day, in-home care likely makes financial sense. On the other hand, the more hours of care your loved one needs, the more the cost. If your loved one needs all-day in-home senior care, Aging.com says that can cost up to $300 day. For 20 days a month, that could total $6,000.

Some families may also consider having a family member step away from a career to serve as an in-home care provider. However, there are hidden costs with this choice too. An article by NPR says the average lost wages for a woman who drops out of her career for caregiving could be over $140,000.

Assisted living communities vary in price too. Your cost depends on the level of care, location, and senior living apartment size or layout. Overall, a survey by Genworth in 2019 showed the average monthly cost for assisted living in Texas was just under $3,800. For seniors who need consistent daily help, assisted living often is the best financial choice.

What social benefits does it provide?

When your loved one has a consistent in-home care staff member, this provides a chance to connect. It can be a good source of companionship. Another social benefit of in-home senior care is the potential to stay near familiar neighbors or family. However, this may not apply to every situation. Many seniors live alone, which can put them at risk for isolation.

At assisted living communities, your loved one always has other senior residents nearby. According to the AARP, creating this social environment for your loved one greatly benefits his or her overall health. While socialization may be different than at home, seniors often enjoy having activities planned that they can pick and choose. They also may enjoy being close to people from their own generation, who share similar life experiences.

Will it support needs in the future?

In the end, when making your choice between in-home care or assisted living, be sure to look to the future. At first, minimal in-home care may be all your loved one needs. But what will his or her care needs look like in a couple of years?

One big benefit of assisted living communities is the availability of more care options as your loved one ages. Communities like Parkwood Healthcare provide skilled nursing, senior rehabilitation services, and memory care services all at the same location. For many families, this makes it easier to adjust care as their loved one’s needs change.

Want to know more about our assisted living communities in Bedford, TX? Contact Parkwood Healthcare at 817-354-6556 to find out all the ways we support your loved one.