Getting older and coping with new medical problems, loss of memory, and change in financial status after retiring are all very stressful events for people as they age. Add moving out of the home you’ve lived in for years to the mix, and you have a recipe for major stress. The good news is, if you do a bit of research and a lot of planning, you can make the transition much easier. We’ve put together some tips on how to move an elderly parent into assisted living with the least amount of stress.
By the time you leave, your loved one will be settled in their new space, and making new friends. You can schedule your next visit before you say your goodbyes, so they know when you’ll be back. We know that moving a loved one into assisted living isn’t easy for anyone, but we hope these tips can help smooth the transition.
How to Talk to Your Aging Parents About Assisted Living
Top 10 Signs It’s Time to Consider Assisted Living
Benefits of Assisted Living
If you’re looking for assisted living in Harford County MD, we’re glad you found us. We offer residential assisted living in a smaller, home-like atmosphere. It’s important you and your loved one tour the assisted living facilities you’re considering so you can find the right fit. You also want a facility you can visit easily without a long drive. We’re conveniently located within about an hour’s drive from Baltimore as well as York and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania.
We offer custom tours on your schedule. Call 410-452-0004 to get started.
If you have aging parents who are having trouble remembering to take their medications, forget to pay the bills, or have mobility issues that make their own home an unsafe place, you’re looking for options. When it comes to senior living, there are several levels of care, including in-home care, assisted living, and a nursing home. In a previous blog, we went over assisted living vs in-home care.
Today we’ll look at assisted living vs a nursing home. There are several big differences that will help dictate which option is right for your loved one. You should make the decision together, along with your loved one’s doctors. Let’s get started.
The level of care differs greatly between the two types of facilities. Let’s compare.
In an assisted living environment, your loved one receives, at a minimum:
In a nursing home environment, most people are there because they need a higher level of personal care as well as medical care. A senior might need to be in a nursing home if they are unable to feed themselves, have significant mobility issues, require regular injections, or have a progressive medical condition.
Care includes:
In general, a stand-alone assisted living facility will have staff on duty 24/7. At Broad Creek Manor our staff is trained as state licensed Certified Medication Technicians. In a medical emergency, they might call a nurse or doctor on call, or call for an ambulance. Nursing homes are known as skilled nursing facilities for a reason. They have a skilled nursing staff on duty 24/7 to provide needed injections, take care of minor medical procedures, and more.
Under Maryland law, the medical director of a nursing home must be a physician, and there must always be a doctor available to nursing home staff. A nursing home will also provide medical transport to a hospital if needed.
Assisted living communities in general have a higher level of social activities, as their seniors are healthier and more engaged. But nursing homes should also offer a range of activities to engage their residents. Some skilled nursing facilities are better than others at providing social activities.
For both types of facilities, activities might include:
In assisted living, many people will attend these activities and get fully involved. In a nursing home environment, attendance might be sparse, but it is important to have these activities to stimulate senior’s minds and bodies.
In assisted living, residents have either a private room or a shared room and bathroom that they share with a friend or a spouse. There is also plenty of common space for activities, and usually an outside area that residents can enjoy.
In a nursing home environment, rooms may be private or shared with a stranger. Many rooms may be equipped with hospital-style beds, lending rooms a less cozy feel than an assisted living room. There are generally fewer common areas, and no outside areas residents can go to unaccompanied.
The cost of assisted living is generally paid out of pocket – either from funds the senior has accumulated over the years, a long-term care insurance policy, or by a family member. There are some assistance programs available.
Most nursing home care is paid for by Medicaid, but a senior would have to spend down their own assets (sell the house, use retirement funds) before Medicaid coverage would kick in. Medicare will cover some costs if you have a short stay at a skilled nursing facility after hospitalization to recover from surgery or a health condition.
When to Move from Assisted Living to a Nursing Home
The decision to move into assisted living from one’s own home is a big one. So is the decision to transition from assisted living to a nursing home. The decision is a personal one, and one that is usually made for medical reasons. Nursing homes frequently require a physical examination and a doctor’s prescription, as well as state approval for someone to enter a nursing home.
As we have said, assisted living is a good communal living situation for seniors who need assistance with ADLs, medication management, and need more social interaction than they were getting living at home. But seniors in assisted living don’t need round the clock medical care.
If your loved one is having more and more frequent medical problems resulting in trips to the doctor or hospitalization, it may be time to look into transitioning to a nursing home where they can get round-the-clock medical care.
In Maryland, the state Oversight Committee on Quality of Care in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities is focused on improving the quality of care in both types of facilities. Before you choose a facility of either type, be sure to do your research, and visit numerous facilities.
Top 10 Signs It’s Time to Consider Assisted Living
If you’re looking to find the right assisted living facility for an aging loved one who needs help caring for themselves, contact us today to schedule a tour of our facilities. Use the contact form or call us at 410-452-0004. Broad Creek Manor Assisted Living is conveniently located in Harford County, Maryland, within a short drive of Baltimore County and Cecil County, as well as York and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania.
Memory care is a type of senior living that provides intensive, specialized care for people with serious memory issues, most frequently caused by Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. When a loved forgets to pay the bills, starts to wander, or forgets the way back home, or starts a fire because they left a pot on the stove, you may want to consider memory care.
If your loved one lives with you, you may be able to care for them at home for a while, but as the condition worsens, you may not be able to cope. And if your loved one currently lives alone, moving to a memory care facility may be the best way to protect their safety and improve quality of life.
Many assisted living facilities, including Broad Creek Manor Assisted Living, have created special memory care plans for their residents with dementia. You can also find stand-alone facilities in some areas. Memory care is increasingly important.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as of 2016, 41.9% of residents in residential care communities have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. That number rises to 47.8% for residents of nursing homes.
In addition to the regular assisted living services such as meals, housekeeping, assistance with the activities of daily living (ADLs), doctor’s visits and more, memory care residents receive specialized care from trained staff. Many assisted living residents are relatively independent, but dementia care residents need a higher level of care.
This can include:
• Reminders for mealtimes, activities, dinner, and bedtime
• Medication and pain management
• Sensory activities and mental games to help slow the progression of neurological disease and improve cognitive function
• Social time with the rest of our assisted living residents
• One-on-one social interactions with our staff
Staff should be specially trained in ways to minimize emotional distress and aggressiveness in residents with dementia. Providing consistency and a friendly face goes a long way in helping to minimize anxiety and behavioral problems.
Whether memory care is within an assisted living facility or stand-alone facility, you should look for some basic safety precautions, including:
• 24-hour staffing
• Alarms on all exterior doors
• Keypad entry for main facility doors
• Secure building and grounds
Most of these safety precautions are pretty standard. If a facility does not have them in place, that is a red flag. The idea is to always have staff who can monitor your loved one, and have measures in place to keep them from wandering off.
It should come as no surprise that the higher level of care and supervision involved in memory care comes with a higher price. According to Genworth’s National Cost of Care Survey, the monthly average cost for assisted living is $4,300. Memory care can add another $1,000 to $4,000 a month, depending on the specific care residents need. Of course, these are national averages, and what you and your loved one can expect to pay may be different.
The best way to find out is to call the local memory care facilities you might consider. Most long-term care facilities can give you a dollar range based on the care your loved one needs.
Chances are good that there are several memory care providers within an hour’s drive of your home or your loved one’s home. Schedule in person tours, and have a set of questions ready. A Place for Mom has a great memory care checklist.
After touring the various options, ask yourself if the community feels safe. Do the staff seem knowledgeable? Do the residents seem happy? Check online reviews and testimonials as well. You can even ask to speak to the family of one or more of the residents.
Finding the right memory care placement for a loved one can provide peace of mind for families. For the first time in a long time, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Your loved one is now in a safe place, and not at risk of getting lost or burning down the house.
Your life, and theirs, is different now. Once they adjust to their new surroundings, you may notice that your loved one is less anxious, less angry, happier, eating well, and engaging in activities. And you may find yourself having fewer headaches, muscle tension, and sleepless nights.
If you’re researching memory care and assisted living facilities, we would welcome the chance to show you what our charming Harford County residential care home has to offer. You can learn the basics by visiting our Memory Care page.
If you are currently caring for your loved one yourself, you may also be interested in our Respite Care services. In fact, a temporary stay with us may be a good way to find out if Broad Creek Manor Assisted Living is a good fit for your family.
Call 410-452-0004 or use our contact form to get in touch.
When an older loved one can no longer care for themselves, or they are approaching that situation, it’s time to decide how best to provide them with the care and assistance they need. If you or another family member are not able to be the caregiver, you may be faced with choosing between assisted living and home care.
Making the right choice for you and your loved one involves many factors, both personal and financial. What’s right for one family may not be for another. Which is better may depend on your loved one’s specific situation.
To help you make your decision, you may want to consider 3 essential factors: how much care and assistance they need, key differences between assisted living vs home care, and their financial situation (and yours).
Before making any decisions about where they will live, you need to figure out how much help your older adult needs and if you and your family members can provide some of that help.
Start by making a list of everything your loved one needs help with on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. This can include things like transportation, help with meals, assistance with medications, help with bathing, housekeeping, and more. Looking at the big picture helps you choose the correct level of care.
Next, be realistic about how much help you, your family, and friends will provide. If you live in the same town as your older adult, you may be able to offer more help than if you live in another state. Your loved one may even be able to move in with you.
It’s important to think in terms of long-term, ongoing help. It’s a big commitment. After comparing how much help is needed and how much help you and others can provide, you’ll have a better idea of the tasks your loved one will need additional help with.
In some cases, looking at this list makes it obvious that in-home care is the best option. In other cases, assisted living might be the best choice.
It’s important to understand the differences between in-home care and assisted living so you and your loved one can make an informed decision. Let’s start with the basics of how each type of care works, and key pros and cons for each.
In-Home Care
In-home care is when you hire one or more caregivers to come into the home to help your senior with activities of daily living (ADLs). This allows your loved one to continue living safely at home.
The specific help provided depends on your loved one’s needs and how much help you and others are already providing. In-home care can include meal preparation, light housekeeping, transportation, assistance with bathing, dressing, using the toilet, etc.
Pros
Cons
An assisted living facility or residential care home is a place where multiple seniors live, in rooms or small apartments. Spouses or best friends can live together and receive individualized care.
Most assisted living communities offer a wide range of care options, from seniors who are mostly independent to those who need a higher level of care.
Meals, group activities, and housekeeping are usually included in the monthly fee.
Pros
Cons
Now that you know more about assisted living vs in-home care, you may be close to deciding which environment is best for your loved one. The next thing to consider is cost of care.
Before you can make a choice between assisted living or in-home care, you need to know how each choice would work within your budget and your older adult’s budget. Will you and other family members be able to help out financially? Does your loved one have the financial ability to pay for assisted living?
It’s important to note that Medicare does not pay for assisted living, and only covers home health care on a part-time basis.
It’s important to figure out care costs ahead of time so that you can make a long-term care budget that’s realistic. The easiest way to do this is to call around to get actual pricing information from assisted living communities you’re considering as well as in-home care providers you might hire.
According to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey, the 2020 national average monthly cost for in-home care for 44 hours of care per week was $4,481. The 2020 national average monthly cost for assisted living was $4,300. Remember, that these are just ballpark figures, and the costs may be higher or lower depending upon what state and city your senior lives in and what services they need.
If running the numbers becomes overwhelming, ask a trusted relative or friend for help. Or, talk with a reputable financial adviser or accountant.
Assisted living fees vary by community. You will want to ask each facility for a cost breakdown of what is included in the monthly rate, and what extra fees there are.
After crunching the numbers, you’ll have a good idea of which option is the most cost-effective one for your loved one.
If you’re looking for a residential assisted living home in Maryland, we hope you’ll consider Broad Creek Manor Assisted Living. We’re located on 23 idyllic acres in Harford County. Contact us today to schedule a tour or ask any questions you might have.
RELATED READING
Top 10 Signs It’s Time to Consider Assisted Living
Most folks would really like to measure in our own homes for as long as possible. But for many seniors, there comes a time when living reception alone or maybe living with a beloved is not any longer an honest , or safe idea. Trying to determine if a parent or loved one should move to an assisted living community can be a stressful situation, and you may question yourself. Ideally, you ought to have a conversation about the likelihood of assisted living before you’ve got an urgent situation. This gives the senior in your life time to think about the thought , and are available to grips with it. It might help to know that you’re not alone.
According to some assisted living facts and figures from the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and therefore the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), quite 811,000 American seniors reside in one among nearly 29,000 assisted living facilities across the country. If you’re even reading this, you recognize that assisted living provides 24-hour care and help with activities of daily living (ADLs). It also provides social interaction for a beloved . But does one know the highest signs that indicate it’s going to be time to think about assisted living for your loved one? Keep reading to learn more.
This is not an automatic sign that it’s time for assisted living. You may be ready to assist with medications and therapy appointments, otherwise you can hire a home health aide. But if their health continues to say no and that they need 24-hour supervision, assisted living could be an honest solution. Talk with their physician and get their opinion. They may have already broached the subject with your loved one.
Mobility issues can cause seniors to trip and go over the corner of a rug, or on the steps . This can end in as little as hurt pride and a couple of bruises, or the maximum amount as a broken hip. You can attempt to prevent falls by getting obviate area rugs and other potential obstacles, and found out a bed downstairs in order that they don’t need to navigate stairs.
In assisted living, staff is usually around to help and stop falls.
If you notice your normally fastidious father features a slight smell of body odour or urine, or has not combed his hair, you’ll want to think about assisted living, where they can help with bathing and hygiene. The same thing goes for your mother, who normally does her hair, makeup, and nails. If you notice she isn’t “keeping up her appearance,” she could also be too tired or too forgetful roll in the hay.
If you don’t live near your parent, you’ll not realize they’re not eating properly until you choose a visit to their home. Do they look like they’ve lost weight? Is their refrigerator empty apart from a few of items? Are the pantry shelves crammed with junk food? Grocery shopping and cooking can become huge challenges for a few seniors.
At an assisted living community, your loved one will have:
We don’t mean things are a little dusty. When your mom usually has everything put away neatly, but subsequent time you visit there are piles of dirty dishes within the kitchen and dirty linen strewn around the house, that’s a red flag. Piles of stuff everywhere the house can attract roaches and rodents, and pose trip hazards. The house can also be dangerous if your parent is susceptible to wandering and lives near a busy street.
If your parent or beloved doesn’t drive anymore and that they live alone, programs like Meals on Wheels and frequent visits from you’ll help. But an assisted living community would give them the social interaction they crave, and need. Isolation can increase the danger of mental decline, also as a number of medical problems.
This can be caused by simple forgetfulness, or amnesia . You or a sibling could also be ready to take over paying the bills, a minimum of temporarily. This will make sure the power doesn’t get shut off, for instance . Another sign it’s going to be time to think about assisted living is that if your beloved puts thousands of dollars on a mastercard buying things they don’t need, or starts making huge donations to TV personalities.
We all forget things from time to time. But if amnesia is causing serious problems, it’s going to be time to think about a move to an assisted living memory care unit. Examples of serious problems would include:
Another sign that assisted living could also be an honest living situation is that if your beloved has become angry and aggressive. this will be related to amnesia , and may be a dangerous situation for both the senior and therefore the caregiver. An assisted living facility will have staff who are trained to affect aggressive situations and keep your beloved safe.
They Need More Help Than you’ll Give
If you reside nearby your parent or beloved , you’ll be stopping in on a day to day . you’ll even have them living in your house so you’ll look after them. But if amnesia is causing serious problems, or they need become angry and aggressive, or if you’ve got began to feel angry and resentful about the quantity of care they require, a move to assisted living might be the right solution.
The Benefits of Assisted Living
If you’re considering moving to an assisted living community, or you’re researching for your parents, we welcome you to explore all that Broad Creek Manor Assisted Living has got to offer. Please explore our website for answers to some commonly asked questions. To schedule a tour of our assisted living home, call us at 410-452-0004 or you can also use the contact form. We’re conveniently located in an idyllic setting in Harford County, Maryland, just a brief drive from Baltimore, York, PA, and Lancaster, PA.
Is assisted living the right choice for your parent or loved one? When it becomes apparent that they need some additional help there are many questions you need to ask yourself:
These are tough questions that families must ask themselves. The answers are different for each family and situation.
To guide your decision, here are some of these key benefits of assisted living and the services assisted living facilities provide:
Family members no longer need worry about their loved one falling, being scammed, getting lost, eating healthy or taking the wrong medication. Assisted livings have trained staff on-site 24 hours a day to oversee and help your family members.
As we age, it’s more important than ever to remain physically and mentally active. Assisted living residents are offered numerous indoor and outdoor activities from gardening to yoga, and cultural events.
Isolation in seniors can lead to a host of problems from depression to poor health, mobility issues and more. It’s not uncommon for seniors to become isolated as they get older. In assisted living, residents become part of a loving, supportive community. They’re surrounded by people their own age and have many opportunities to socialize and enjoy the company of others.
It’s important for seniors to retain their independence, yet also have the assistance they need. Assisted living provides residents with help, only as needed, with daily living activities, such as bathing, dressing or eating.
Great food and nutrition are important for your senior loved one. At Broad Creek Manor, seniors get both. Our menu of home cooked meals is changed weekly and has been approved by a dietitian to deliver the best nutrition to our residents.
Assisted living enables seniors to enjoy social contact, security and support while still maintaining their independence.
If you’d like to learn more about senior care benefits and assisted living at Broad Creek Manor or if you need help determining what your loved one needs, contact us to schedule a free facility tour.
Scott and Melissa are eager to be taking over at the end of January as the new owners of Broad Creek Manor Assisted Living Facility. The staff and residents of the existing facility are amazing! We cannot wait to be a part of this family. Broad Creek Manor already has an excellent staff, amazing location, and great residents. We are excited to implement some new ideas to make Broad Creek Manor even better! We plan, over the next few months, to do some updates including adding a beauty salon and a large activities room where the residents can engage in a variety of individualized activities.
More updates to come as we move forward in our venture! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates.
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