Having the right elderly care means knowing your loved ones are safe. Find out today what senior care options are the best for you or your family members.
It’s never easy to watch a loved one get older and start to lose their independence. It can be hard watching your mom struggle to stand up or having to help your dad with activities he used to be able to do on his own.
As much as helping them in their old age strengthens your relationship, it can also put a strain on your life. Having to look after an elderly parent or loved one is a full-time job. It takes a lot of emotional energy out of you and takes away from the time you can spend doing more enjoyable things.
Caring for an elderly person can put a strain on your wallet, too.
Between paying for medications and treatments, and investing in senior care to help ease your workload, you can end up spending a lot of money. Thankfully, there are some affordable senior care options and disability services that can help you handle all the costs without decreasing your loved one’s quality of life.
Here are some care options to consider for the elderly person in your life, plus a quick guide on how to choose the right one.
3 Affordable Senior Care Options
Everyone wants the best for their loved ones. But, no one should have to go broke just to make sure the elderly person they care for has the professional care and attention they need.
If your finances are a little tight right now, consider the senior care options below to help your parent or grandparent and help yourself a bit, too.
1. An Informal Caregiver
A formal caregiver is a licensed professional who works for an hourly wage to help an elderly person. He/she does everything from cooking meals to cleaning the house, to accompanying the elderly on a walk, or even helping them bathe.
But, if your loved one doesn’t need that much help, you don’t have to pay a professional’s wage to provide the care they do need. An informal caregiver can help them with basic activities for a few hours a day while saving you money.
This means an elderly person still gets the support to complete small tasks around the house and maintain their quality of life. It means they get companionship, a sense of safety, and a shoulder to lean on. This offers a huge sense of peace of mind for them and for you, without having to go to extremes to access it.
An informal caregiver may be a friend who has experience in the medical field and is now retired. It can also be a family member who has enough free time on their hands to meet with your loved one every day for a few hours and help them with whatever they need.
2. An Adult Day Care
Another affordable senior care option to consider is an adult daycare. This is a more affordable option than assisted living, and it may even be cheaper than the formal caregiving options in your area.
An adult daycarecenter basically provides the same functions as a formal caregiver, except that it’s out of an elderly person’s home and there are usually more elderly people than caregivers.
Still, this could be exactly what your loved one needs. Going to an adult daycare gives them a place of belonging and community where they can be with other people who are experiencing the same struggles as them. It also gives them access to the medical attention and day to day support they need.
3. Affordable Assisted Living
The final option worth looking into is assisted living or a nursing home. This is the most expensive form of elderly care on the list, but, you have to think about them beyond face value.
For example, if your loved one lives under your roof right now, you’re probably spending extra on food and bills for the whole house. If they live in their own place but not working, you’re probably helping to pay their home bills in addition to senior care and other expenses.
Paying for an assisted living center means you can basically consolidate all the costs of caring for a loved one in one place. Meanwhile, you’d be saving money by eliminating expenses you’re currently paying for right now!
In the end, it could all even itself out.
Making the Right Senior Care Choice
Keep in mind that there’s more to think about for senior care beyond the financial cost. You want your loved one to be as comfortable and as best cared for as possible.
As such, you need to do a couple of things before you make the final decision.
Talk to Your Loved One and Their Doctor
The needs of an elderly person should always be the number one priority when picking a senior care option. You can figure out the costs later, but you can’t afford to overlook the personal care and medical attention that’s required for their wellbeing.
Talk to your loved one about where they’re at right now in terms of their aging. Ask them how they feel about being home alone or not being able to do certain things. Get insight on where they’d ideally like to be in terms of a living situation and a day to day routine.
Then, talk to their doctor to make sure all your bases are covered.
Some elderly people may try to deny how much they have regressed. They may be telling themselves they’re more independent than they can be or have trouble coping with aging. But, you need to work with the truth of the matter rather than the idea in their mind.
Think About the Long-Term
It makes no sense to hire an informal caregiver this month if you expect it will be time for assisted living in the next few months.You need to discover more about each option and make the investment that best fits the long-term needs of your loved one.
This may mean you just invest in assisted living right now. As hard as it may be for you and your loved one, it’s the right thing to do for them and for your finances, too.
Preparing for the long-term helps give an elderly person all the resources they need to enjoy their last days. It also creates a clear list of cost expectations for you to figure out how you’re going to pay for.
Making Ends Meet When Additional Care Is Necessary
Maybe your loved one is struggling with something like cancer or Alzheimer’s. Maybe they need more senior care options than you initially thought they would.
Either way, the best thing you can do for them is research all the senior care options available and help them make a decision. Be there for them through this process and try to be as understanding as possible.
But, remember to be there for yourself in terms of organizing your finances and dealing with a loved one’s aging in your own way as well. As far as finances go, start saving now and put new spending habits in place to make ends meet.
These tips will help you make the most of your finances.
