Care Home For The Elderly

Oh what an atmosphere! Don't be retiring about choosing the right nursing home for your elderly relative - show them you care

A caring care home is the best place for an elderly relative but they still need to feel that they are very much part of the family

Getting old is the inevitable prize for surviving six or more decades of trial and tribulation. As with childhood, as we get older we become increasingly dependent upon others for our daily care. Traditionally this role has been filled by the children who have now become dependent and can turn their attention to caring for an elderly parent. Unfortunately lifestyles and financial restraints (such as longer term and higher mortgages) mean that the 'children' are committed to long hours at work with often both partners in a relationship having jobs.

There has also been an increase in elderly people with sizeable assets such as a family-sized home which is now both substantially empty and too much for the elderly person to run, anyway. Armed with all this cash, many head towards care homes which can offer as much or as little attention as the resident needs. This is a significant improvement on the otherwise difficult situation of asking a son or daughter to take time off work to help out.

From a straight economic viewpoint, the cost of long-stay in a care home compares very favourably with conventional medical assistance which will become increasingly intensive as the person ages. The only other alternative - choosing to look after an aged relative is not financially viable for most people as the cost of the purpose-built equipment, health visitors, transport, medicines and special diets will soon mount up. It has been estimated that a typical family in the US choosing to home-care for an elderly relative will spend upwards of $5500 per annum. This can easily drive a family into debt.

A good care home is able to purchase all of the requirements for their elderly residents in bulk, thus saving money. They have staff trained to cope with most day-to-day emergencies and systems to monitor the health, medicinal intake and general needs of all of their elderly occupants. They are no substitute for regular family contact so that the elderly person does not feel cast-off but this can now be provided more as a 'Come on kids, let's go and see grandma!' rather than 'Grandma needs ... and ... and ... and ...'. The whole experience can and should be less stressful and more pleasurable for both parties.

Placing an elderly relative in a care home should not be seen as an abandonment, it should be perceived as being an act of care - 'This home will provide better care than we can ever hope to and we will come and see you every weekend'.

Start planning old age care early in life - when there is time and money to ensure that you get the best. While all homes are regulated, it would not be true to say that there isn't a wide difference in care and standards between the extremes.

If you are in the process of choosing care homes within a particular budget, here are a few ideas for seeing that you get the best for your relative:

Look at the faces of the other residents. Do they seem bored, irritated, docile or angry or are they animated, friendly and full of life?
See how many care staff are available and how many of them are qualified.
Would you wish to be looked after by these nurses?
What stimuli are freely on hand? For example, besides the television and a few games, what can your relative do with their time?
How big and how easy to explore are the grounds?
What are the house rules for the residents?
Can you see some occupied rooms and not just the vacant one you will be shown?
Talk to some of the other residents about meals, the nurses and life in the care home.
Is there ample parking for relatives? What about security - how easy is to just walk in off the street?
When are visiting hours? Are they very restrictive or, perhaps, too open-ended?

If you are middle-aged or younger, take out a good insurance policy now so that your care home costs can be met but keep a careful eye on the small-print as the terms of these policies keep changing as the costs of medicine and nursing care increase.

Undoubtedly there is a growing demand for this service and, if you have an aging parent, then you will certainly need to consider a care home for the elderly.