Comparing Home Care and Assisted Living

Comparing Home Care and Assisted Living

If your loved one is beginning to need some extra support you may be wondering whether home care or assisted living would be best. They’d likely rather stay at home, but how would that work? Is assisted living only for those who need full-time support? We can help answer those questions and more by comparing the pros and cons of home care and assisted living.

Your Home Care Options

When it comes to home care, there are typically two options which include:

• Home Health Care – These services can help your loved one to continue to live independently at home with support that is provided on an hourly, as-needed, or 24/7 live-in basis. Home health care typically includes personal care, household chores, cooking, transportation, occupational, physical, and/or speech therapy.
• Adult Day Care – With this option, your loved one still lives at home but travels to/from adult day care as needed. Typically open during normal business hours, five days a week, adult day care provides services that may include meals and snacks, health monitoring, medication assistance, fitness, educational programs, and social activities.

Pros and Cons of Home Care

For some, home care is an ideal solution, for others, it isn’t. There’s no right or wrong here, really it depends on your loved one’s wants and needs, the circumstances, and the home itself. But in general, the pros and cons include:

Pros:

• Gives primary caregivers a break should they need to work, go to school, manage other responsibilities or just have a break.
• Flexibility to choose how often (how many hours what days, etc.) home care is provided.
• Your loved one has the comfort of staying at home where they are most comfortable.
• Your loved one can continue living with family members who don’t need assistance right now.

Cons:

• You’ll still have the challenges of managing caregiving with other responsibilities, particularly as your loved one’s home care needs increase.
• You still have to keep up with home maintenance and repair.
• Home care costs can increase dramatically as your loved one’s needs increase.
• You may need to make updates to their home to ensure it is safe and accessible, which can be costly and time more of your time.
• Social isolation in addition to lack of exercise, and malnutrition are risks when home care is provided intermittently.
• For adult day care, transportation must be provided to and from and the hours, as well as services, may be more limited than your loved one may need.

Assisted Living Defined

Assisted living is a type of senior living that offers support with daily activities such as bathing, grooming, and dressing and has nurses and trained caregivers onsite 24/7. It is designed to empower your loved one’s confidence to enjoy all life has to offer while at the same time giving them (and you) peace of mind that aslittle or as much support as you need is always nearby.

Our assisted living communities feature amenities that include:

• Luxury studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom floorplans
• 24-hour staffing
• 24-hour fitness center, daily exercise classes, and complimentary on-site certified personal trainer
• Housekeeping
• Personal laundry
• 24-hour Stay Sharp Center with computers
• Three meals – Flexible, open, all-day dining that’s wholesome, healthy, and made from scratch with gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and diabetic-friendly menu options
• Happy hours and live entertainment
• Clubs, seminars, and intergenerational activities
• Full calendar of activities, fun events, and local adventures
• Scheduled transportation services
• Hair Salon
• Bistro

Pros and Cons of Assisted Living

Just like home care, there are pros and cons to the environment in assisted living and again, whether it’s best or not really depends on your loved one’s specific situation. However, in general, the pros and cons include:

Pros:

• Maintenance-free living means we take care of home maintenance, housekeeping, laundry, and cooking for your loved one.
• Personalized care to help with bathing, dressing, eating, and medication plus we offer 24-hour staffing in our communities.
• The convenience of your loved one having everything they need right outside their door with a fitness center and beauty salon on site and even concierge services. Plus, transportation is also available for those times your loved one needs or wants to head offsite.
• A focus on their overall well-being with our signature Whole Life Living program. This personalized, holistic approach to wellness takes our belief that a healthier life is a happier life, and puts it into action through four facets:  

         _{- Eat better - Healthy, fresh, and made-from-scratch meals including gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and diabetic options.}

           _{- Feel better - Complimentary on-site certified personal trainer and fitness center.}

           _{- Think better - Stay Sharp life long learning programs.}

           _{- Live better - Regular opportunities to pursue purpose.}

• Your loved one will never feel isolated or alone as part of what makes our Whole Life Living program so impactful is that it’s grounded in a socially connected environment down to the design of each community. It’s away of life that includes regular social events, classes, clubs, seminars, and intergenerational activities along with opportunities for creative expression, group outings, volunteering, and more!
• You and your loved one will have peace of mind with safety features such as emergency alert pendants and secure entries with keycard access as standard in our communities.
• For caregivers, less stress and more time to be in the moment and enjoy life with your loved one again as their daughter, son, husband, or wife.

Cons:

• There’s less privacy than your loved one would have in their own home.
• It can be challenging to adjust to a group environment.
• Intensive, round-the-clock care or specialized care is typically not available in assisted living. However, many of our communities have high levels of care on the same campus.

For more information on assisted living at GenCare Lifestyle, schedule a tour today!

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