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LiveWell Placements

In-home care or assisted living, what’s right for you?


For many seniors, there comes a time when they need a little extra help and have to decide whether to stay in their own home vs. moving into an independent or assisted living community. There are benefits to both so it’s really important to determine what you need and then weigh the cost benefits as well as your personal lifestyle preferences. Here are three main things to consider:

1. Requirements for assistance

The first consideration is deciding on the type of services that you need. Do you simply require some help with household chores and/or meals or do you need full-time assistance because of medical needs? Is your home still manageable or has it become too much to handle because of size, layout or accessibility to doctors, stores, family, etc.? Make a complete list of your priorities and rank them in order based on importance. At this stage, don’t worry yet about cost. You are simply determining what you require based on your health and activity levels.

2. Lifestyle considerations

The second consideration concerns quality of life and what will provide you with the most happiness. Are you a homebody who loves nesting and being in one place or do you like to socialize and meet new people? Do you believe “there is no place like home” or do you love the idea of a new adventure? How active are you? Depending on your answers to these questions, it may be an easy decision. If you are the “home sweet home” type, then there are many services available that can help you stay in your home and still provide additional support for day to day household chores, meal planning, medication management, doctor visits, etc. If you are the type of person that loves activity and thrives on socializing, then there are many independent and assisted living communities that can provide you with the stimulus that you crave.

3. Cost comparison

The third thing to consider are your options for paying for either home healthcare or moving to a home in an assisted or independent living community. The costs will vary by state and by level of care required. However, there are often ways to pay for either option through veteran’s benefits, Medicare or long term health insurance. There are many tools to research your options on your own such as AARP and the National Council on Aging. However, there are also referral services for independent and assisted living services as well as home healthcare providers that can guide you through your options at no cost. They will help you determine costs, schedule trips to the communities or meetings with potential caregivers and help you choose what is right for you.

In summary, making a decision as to what home environment will best suit you is a very personal choice and it really requires ample knowledge of all your options. Taking advantage of free services that are available to you allows you to weigh all available choices and decide what will make this next phase of your life as fulfilling as possible.

For more information on referral services – please visit www.Livewellplacements.com

For more information on home healthcare – please visit www.firstlantic.com

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