At Home Care or a Senior Community? Pros and Cons

Choosing a professional facility or in-home care for your loved one is a big decision. Both options have their own pros and cons, but what it really comes down to is the needs and desires of your senior parent, and how one option or the other can best meet those needs. Here are a few factors to consider, and the benefits and disadvantages of in-home senior care and assisted living communities.

Independence and Independent Living

In both situations, your loved one will be free to come and go (health permitting), to pursue hobbies and favorite activities, to meet new friends and spend time with old ones, and to maintain the same lifestyle he or she always did.

Pros and Cons: In-home care allows your parent to stay at home, which is what a lot of older adults prefer simply because they're unaware of options. While an assisted living community will still afford all the same freedoms and independence, your loved one may at first feel like he or she is having to give something up - like independence.

Giving Your Family Peace of Mind

With both in-home care and senior living communities, you know your loved one will be safe, will receive medical and personal attention, and will have all needs met. You won’t have to worry about the safety, health, and security of your senior parent at a care facility, and your loved one will have a support team to help with everything, including:

• Getting proper nutrition with delicious and balanced meals
• Laundry and housekeeping
• Therapy and medical care
• Shopping and transportation
• Medication management
• The benefit of socialization

Pros and Cons: Your loved one will always have access to staff and neighbors in a senior living environment. If they stay at home and receive care, there may be times when nobody is immediately available if there's an emergency, or simply to connect with to avoid isolation and loneliness. 

Finding a Normal Routine

During the first few weeks with in-home care, your loved one and the care staff will take the time to get to know each other and find a routine that works for them, but it will take some time for them to get comfortable with each other.

In an assisted living community, your loved one will need a few weeks to a couple months to get used to the new environment and the new faces. The first few days may be a little intimidating, but your loved one will settle into a comfortable routine and feel right at home soon enough.

Pros and Cons: Settling in with home care might be faster than moving to transitional care or a living community. However, your loved one may still need to move to an assisted living community later, so the length of the transition shouldn’t hold too much weight.

Easing the Transition: Provide reassurance that your loved one will still have all the same freedom and independence as always, that family and friends will still be around to visit, and overall, life won’t change much. Be there on moving day and for first introductions, make sure your loved one knows what's going on, and ensure they feel comfortable and at home.  

Weighing Financial Considerations and Needs

Walker Methodist offers a variety of care and living options, including assisted living and long-term care living communities. We provide all the care, attention, and medical services your loved one may need, and do everything we can to ensure smooth transitional care.

If you're considering a senior living community for your loved one, contact Walker Methodist today to request information about our TCU, rehab programs, and senior living options.