When health issues are not serious enough to require extended hospitalization, there are two options for residential care:
• Home care - either provided in the patient's home, perhaps by yourself or professionals, or in the home of family.
• Established care in a retirement/assisted living residence - with medical and custodial assistance integrated into a residential living environment.
Each has factors in its favor in particular cases; however, we'd like to outline those that pertain particularly to the residence option. It has been our experience that children caring for aging parents are often intimately familiar with the advantages and drawbacks of the home care option, since it is one that often naturally develops.
People are less familiar with the residence option and its consideration is often filled with feelings of guilt and uncertainty. After providing home care for a loved one, it can be difficult for a child/caregiver to ponder alternatives clearly because of the demands of the crisis atmosphere and the accompanying emotional strain.
In such a sensitive and personal matter, there is no absolute prescription or universal ideal for a living arrangement. Every decision must be made on an individual basis, judged by personal values, available resources, care objectives and ultimately, by the desires, personalities, and outlook of both the parent and the child/caretaker.
We believe that the residence option, for those whose needs are suited to it, can offer undeniable advantages over home care. It can help to make the mature years a time of renewed spirit, hope, and happiness. In the right setting, people in their later years can still count interests instead of years, appreciate life's beauty, and maintain a vivid curiosity about the world around them.
By exploring this perspective, we'd like to help you assess whether the residence option fills your needs now, or in the future.
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