Assisted living provides nursing care that includes medication administration to housekeeping, if your elderly parent still lives at home. Total care means that, regardless of the level of his or her mobility, your elderly parent needs around the clock care. There are many other differences between these two types of nursing care and how they are assessed.
Assisted Living vs. Total Care
Assisted living facilities and nurses provide extra help to elderly adults who are still cognizant of who they are and of their surroundings. These residents or patients are able to make choices for themselves but may not be able to clean up after themselves or safely and regularly bathe themselves. Nurses provide care to keep residents healthy and clean and keep their living space safe and free of anything that could affect residents' health. With total care facilities, residents have become patients because they can no longer do much of anything for themselves, including use the toilet and dress themselves.
The Assessment
When you decide to get help for your parent(s), a nursing agency or assisted living facility will require an assessment. The first part of every assessment is usually medical-- any special health needs or dietary considerations that could impact the decision for assistance. A family account from you is typically the next part, and this clarifies your concerns and your expectations for nursing staff in an assisted living situation. The final part of an assessment looks at your elderly parent's physical capacity to move and care for him/herself, as well as any potential dangers, e.g., wandering risk.
Determining Appropriate Level of Care
Your intentions with regards to keeping your aged parent at home and independent are good, but there are certain factors that may make that impossible. Advanced dementia and wandering both make it too dangerous to provide care at home, and some assisted living facilities will not allow residents with these issues to live in their buildings. At this point, a nursing home or facility is better equipped to provide care.
Selecting the Facility or Nursing Agency
Once you have established the level of care your elderly parent needs, you can hire the nursing staff for in-home assisted living or begin the moving process for your parent. If your parent is able to live in an assisted living apartments, there are many more benefits to help him or her stay active and cognizant than there would be if he or she remained in his or her home. However, your parent has the right to choose to stay in his or her home or move to such a facility, and you will need to talk to him or her about this decision before touring facilities or entertaining interviews with nursing staff. To learn more about assisted living, visit Queen Anne Manor Senior Living.
Share22 March 2015
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