How To Select A Retirement Community Or Nursing Home For An Elderly Parent
How To Select A Retirement Community Or Nursing Home For An Elderly Parent
Our parents spend a large portion of their lives caring for us. When they get older, it is our turn to care for them. Trying to choose a nursing home or retirement community for an elderly parent is a difficult task. Ideally, your parent will be able to help with the decision-making process. If that is impossible, however, you may find yourself having to make a choice on your own. This can be particularly challenging if you find yourself in a situation where you have to decide quickly because your parent has experienced some sort of a health crisis. For an elderly person, a simple fall can be catastrophic if it results in broken bones or other issues that limit their mobility. The expert advice below should give you a starting point to go on when choosing a nursing home or retirement facility.
Knowing Your Options
Selecting the best housing for seniors can be confusing. There are different types of housing options, but when it comes to senior care, you should consider these three basic choices.. These include retirement communities that offer independent living, assisted living facilities that offer help with everyday tasks such as bathing or cooking, and nursing homes that offer 24-hour nursing and monitored care.
Exploring Facilities In Your Area
If you haven’t spent a lot of time looking at retirement facilities in your area, you may not know what all is out there. A good place to start is on the Internet. You can do a search for facilities in your community. This will give you a chance to research and compare all of the options that are available.
If your parent was injured and is currently in the hospital, there should be social workers on hand who can introduce you to some of the available long-term care facilities in your city.
You can also hire a social worker on your own to help you and your parent through this transitional time. These social workers, who are also known as geriatric care managers, focus specifically on helping elderly people transition into different living situations. Just make sure that the person that you hire to help is accredited and well-respected in your community.
There are also comparison websites online that you can use to find facilities that are located nearby. The benefit of using these websites is that you can make sure that they accept Medicaid or Medicare ahead of time. You can also view ratings of each facility, making sure that the place you choose has a good reputation.
Understanding Care-Related Expenses
Senior care can be quite costly. In most cases, you will have to pay for at least a portion of the care out of your own pocket.
There are insurance plans available that you can purchase that help cover the cost of ongoing care. Medicare may also help cover some of the expenses, assuming that your parent meets the qualification requirements. These requirements include staying in the hospital for at least three nights for a particular condition that can be improved by rehabilitation. The facility that they are sent to also has to be certified by Medicare.
Although the process varies, you usually have to prove up front that your parent has enough money set aside to cover the cost of care. Otherwise, they may not be accepted. Typically, they need to have a fairly substantial amount of money available for care before a facility will allow them in. Once those funds have been used up, there is medical assistance available that can kick in and help cover the cost.
Even if your parent doesn’t have money to cover the cost of care, however, there are options available. Some communities have assistance available that will help with medical expenses. Keep in mind, however, that these retirement communities may not offer the same quality or amenities as a community that you pay for out of your own pocket.
Thinking About The Future
It is never too soon to start the planning process. Ideally, you should schedule an appointment with an attorney who specializes in issues faced by elderly clients. They can help them get their finances in order so that they are prepared for the future. You should also visit retirement communities in your area with your parents so that they can have input on what happens to them in the future.
Making A Decision
After doing all of your research, you should be able to make an informed decision about which retirement community is the right choice for your parent. Ideally, the facility that you choose should put your parent’s needs first, making sure that they are happy and properly cared for.
Author Bio
Since her childhood days, Angela has already admired those people who give primary care to the oldies. Because of her passion towards elders, she decided to take Physical Therapy in college which specializes rehabilitation for the elders. During her free time, she writes in her journal about the different moments she had with the elders that she loves most.
