How Do I Find Residential Care for My Parents?
When daily tasks become too much for your parents to handle, one option is to hire home care services to lend a hand and monitor their health. With a qualified, compassionate caregiver, your parents adapt and get to stay in their own home.
But if it’s doesn’t work or doesn’t last, the only other choice may be to find residential care, away from their home. The good news is that you now have many options for their future. You just have to put in a little effort to find the right fit.
Examine All Residential Care Options
Before deciding, do your research. Ask your parents what they want or what they’re looking for. Ask friends who’ve been through this process. Look into your local options. Go visit, if possible. Depending on your budget, you can find suitable places in these general categories:
- Skilled nursing. Ideally short-term residences, nursing homes offer immediate medical care for those who need constant supervision or treatments. Too often, however, many nursing home stays become too long.
- Assisted living. At these facilities, your parents live in an apartment, often without a kitchen. Health care providers are on hand to help with needs, and everyone eats communally. Assisted living homes are often connected with skilled nursing facilities, so that residents can transfer when the time comes.
- Residential care. A more affordable option than independent living facilities, residential care homes like Silverbell Homestead offer both independent living and assisted living. They hold 10 to 12 residents, who have their own rooms, but share meals and activities. Health care aides help those who need it, but health and well-being are emphasized.
- Independent living. The primary difference between this and your parents’ own home is the access to medical care. Typically, your parents move into an apartment or townhouse that’s also attached to a larger, assisted living community. Beyond their front door lies a community of like-minded seniors and friends. Medical help is close by.
Depending on Their Health and Budget
If your parents can’t take care of themselves in their home, they may still be able to function in a smaller place. Or they may need help every day. Their physical, medical and communal needs help determine the best fit for them. How much care they need will point to their next home.
As long as they don’t require round-the-clock medical supervision, they won’t need a skilled nursing facility. If they only need occasional help — when they’re sick, when there’s an accident or when they need to drive, for instance — they may not need the expense of assisted living.
That leaves independent living or residential care. The difference is part financial, as independent living communities are more expensive. But it’s also a preference: communal living is invigorating. Neither option may have medical staff on location, although the health care aides can assist with self-administered medication. Both options provide non-medical daily assistance, if needed, group activities, stimulating events and connection to others.
Settling on a Choice
Once you’ve decided on a category, you still have to find a good match for your parents. You’re likely to find homes that fit every category in your immediate area. If you’re in or want to move to Western North Carolina, you can ask Silverbell Homestead <Link to Contact> staff if they’re accepting new residents.
Otherwise, ask friends and trusted advisors for recommendations. Find a connection with someone who’s found answers to the questions you’re asking yourself now. Contact government agencies for referrals. Find the homes that look promising and research their history. Go for a tour. Take your parents. Let them have a look around.
Together, you’ll find the residential care home that’s right for your parents.