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Alternatives to Family Caregiving: Assisted Living & Home Healthcare

Alternatives to Family Caregiving: Assisted Living & Home Healthcare

The aging process is unique to each individual and their situation, lifestyle, and needs. For many seniors the goal is to remain independent. This could mean staying at home, but for others it means being a part of an independent living community while retaining autonomy.

One’s health and capabilities play a large part in these decisions though shouldn’t limit the opportunity to age in place. For those wishing to stay at home, when extra help is needed, family caregiving is often leaned on. This can be a great bonding experience and many family members take great pride in providing care. However, for any number of reasons, family caregiving may not be possible, or turn impossible. What are the options then?

When Leaving Home Isn’t Up for Debate: Home Healthcare Can Help

Numerous surveys have come back with the same result, the majority of seniors want to age at home. For many this eventually means receiving help from at home health professionals and updating the home to install safety features. But how do you know when to start home care and what if you don’t need all the services just yet?

At Home Healthcare In Nashville That Grows With You

Nashville, Tennessee like many cities across the United States has seen an increase in the demand for at home care. With this, a range of at home services have grown to meet the needs of all seniors. Here are popular options and what they detail:

Companion Care

This type of program is for seniors who are in good health, but need an extra set of hands to help maintain the household. It may be hard to get around and having someone to help with light housekeeping, in home meal preparation, or errands, would go a long way.

Personal Care

When struggles extend beyond managing the home to personal day to day assistance, personal care fills the gap offering bathing, dressing, and toileting assistance. Reminders to take medicine and monitoring to make sure medication has been taken are also provided.

Speciality Care

Care providers may offer plans that are personalized to the individual’s needs. This can include dementia care and often comes with caregivers that have obtained additional certifications and have more in depth experience.

When a Nashville Assisted Living Community Makes Sense

Some situations require seniors to move out of their homes. This change does not need to come with a loss of independence. Even with a need for more services than independent living can offer, seniors can be provided independence and safety at an assisted living community.

Building off the day to day care you would see with at home care, assisted living can offer various therapy. Trained massage therapists and physical therapists can help ease pain and increase mobility while occupational therapists and speech therapists help to retain daily function.

There is the addition of added security with a staff of professionals monitoring health, providing night checks, and keeping the premise secure. Most important, assisted living communities are just that, a collective group of individuals sharing time and passions. Communities often have a life enrichment coordinator who schedules social hours, field trips, and visits from local organizations, entertainers, and guest speakers.

These offerings bridge the gap for many seniors who can no longer live at home, but what about those who suffer from dementia?

Memory Care Facilities In Nashville Provide Added Care

The occasional forgetting as we age can be normal, but with a diagnosis of dementia, seeking out a community based around memory care is essential. A memory care community hires accredited staff with training that centers around providing quality care for those with memory loss. Being enrolled in a memory care program provides a similar array of activities as both assisted living and independent living with added therapy. Programming is specifically designed for residents with dementia providing a secure but engaging environment where residents can explore their passions.

Blakeford Offers At Home Care, Assisted Living, & Memory Care

As a leading care provider and senior living community, Blakeford covers all living spaces and needs for aging in Nashville. With the option to transition from one program to another, many residents are given the opportunity to stay in their homes, or an independent living community for as long as they can with peace of mind that other services are available if needed.

Our compassionate staff applies well-life, our mission to connect, inspire, enlighten and thrive to all areas, giving residents the highest quality of living as they age.

Want to learn more about one of our programs? Give us a call 615-655-2522 or contact us to get all your questions answered.