Home Care Vs. Nursing Home

Geriatric care facilities are moving away from providing long term care beds and increasing the number of rehabilitative beds they offer. This is due to financial reasons, as Medicare pays $500 to $600 per day for a rehabilitative bed, while Medicaid pays only $125 per day for a long term care bed. With this decline in the availability of long term care beds, seniors are likely to find it increasingly difficult to locate space in high quality, yet affordable, facilities across the country. While long term care beds are sometimes difficult to locate, high quality in home services are easy to coordinate. With From The Heart Elder Care, a senior simply makes one call to our agency and we will take care of the rest. Linda Esposito, the owner herself, then meets with the client and assesses their needs and in a combined effort with the client, family members and other medical professionals, an appropriate plan of care is put in place.

Seniors are expressing a preference to age in place. AARP surveys show that approximately nine out of ten seniors have a stated desire to remain in their homes. This is likely due to an attachment to the home, as well as a preference to remain with friends and family in the senior’s community. Aging in place provides for comfortable surroundings, and it means that a senior does not have to leave behind the things he is familiar with for facility life.

 The Benefits of Home Health Care

In home health care addresses the problems seniors are facing when making the decision to age in place versus entering a facility. Home care options are often less expensive than a permanent facility stay that, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, averages approximately $6,500 per month. At From The Heart Elder Care, we understand that this monthly cost is sometimes impossible to meet when a senior is facing a fixed income and limited assets. When a senior or family member contacts our office, services are catered to the individual needs of that client. A senior who only needs a few hours of help a day to get dressed, take a bath and prepare a meal pays for only a few hours of help, and this can equate to thousands of dollars of savings versus nursing home placement.

Finally, meeting a senior’s desire to age in place allows for decreased healing time, increased mental health status, increased feelings of dignity and a higher quality of life throughout the geriatric years. While aging in place is not always safe without home care services, when these services are put in place, the senior often can remain at home for a longer period of time and enjoy all of these benefits.

There are many benefits to choosing in home care for a senior versus nursing home placement. The cost savings, increased feelings of independence and dignity and increased access to necessary services versus trying to locate a long term care bed are but a few. To discuss more of these benefits, as well as a customized plan of care for your loved one’s needs, contact From The Heart Elder Care today!