At some point of time most elderly people realize that they cannot manage their daily activities by themselves and need some help. In the USA pensioners have the opportunity to choose one of the three variants of aid:
- home care;
- assisted living;
- a nursing home.
Let’s discuss each of them in detail.
Receiving Care at Home
In fact, sometimes elderly people can live almost independently and deal with most routine activities by themselves, so they do not have to move to any kind of specialized facility. They do not need assistance on a daily basis. That’s great if you have relatives of friends nearby whom you can ask to help with shopping or cooking just for a thank you or for a token fee. In such a case you will save much money, since professional care services are costly enough, and you are likely to pay for them out of your own pocket. Speaking about hiring a professional caregiver, you may turn to an agency, search on the Internet or ask your friends to recommend someone.
Such an assistant may help you with:
- dressing;
- hygiene;
- moving around your house or apartment, including getting into and out of bed;
- cooking;
- shopping;
- cleaning;
- moving around the city;
- paying bills;
- keeping track of your medication courses;
- etc.
If you need any kind of medical services on a regular basis, it is advisable to opt for a professional nurse as a caregiver. Some people think that such services are meant for pensioners with serious health problems only. But in practice almost every elderly person needs some help with housekeeping and other activities. And in most cases, that’s an issue of safety. There is no need to economize on your health and security, there are other ways to reduce regular expenses, for example, to save on medicines. How? More and more US customers discover that it pays to have a tried and true online supplier of drugs in Canada. Currently and for the past 10+ years, the Canadian pharmacy service cohealthop.org has been trending, offering a vast selection of medicines for every member of your family at the prices that are much lower than in the US pharmacies. As you have probably heard, in Canada medications are much more affordable than in many other countries, and Canadian online pharmacies provides customers from all around the world with the opportunity to benefit from the difference in prices. And if you want to reduce your drug expenses to a minimum, choose generics instead of brand medicines. That will help you to save up to 90%.
Moving to an Assisted Living Facility
That’s a perfect choice for those who still manage to deal with most daily activities without outside help, but feel unsafe or uncomfortable to live by themselves. If you choose this option you will have the opportunity to live in an individual apartment, often with your spouse and even your pet. But you will be provided with some help with cooking, cleaning, washing, grooming, bathing and so on. However, you may use and pay for the services you actually need only. Sure, you will have access to the professional help, including some medical services, around the clock. Besides, moving to such a facility means joining the community. The staff will take care of your leisure time and offer a good selection of interesting activities, like watching movies, visiting museums or enjoying different kinds of shows. So, living in such a place you will preserve your privacy and independence, but will get access to the assistance needed and will get rid of the feeling of loneliness.
Living in a Nursing Home
Nursing homes are the facilities that resemble hospitals and provide twenty-four-hour monitoring and help. They are meant for elderly people that experience serious problems with walking and most everyday activities. As a rule, residents move there from assisted living facilities. In a nursing home staff have the opportunity to pay much more attention to each patient. They may help with everything: from bathing and using a toilet to getting around the building.
There are 2 kinds of such homes The places for those, who need the assistance and monitoring 24/7, but do not need any medical services, are called intermediate care facilities. And skilled nursing facilities are meant for the residents that need the medical care Physicians frequently recommend moving to such a nursing home for some period to regain one’s health after a surgery or an injury. There, one can get the physical or speech therapy and the supervision of licensed doctors, and assisted living facilities don’t offer such opportunities. Due to prejudices, some pensioners avoid moving to a nursery home as long as possible, but in such a way they put their health and wellbeing at risk. Besides, one should note that today most nursery homes are cozy and comfortable enough.
To decide which kind of assistance to choose, think over the list of services you need on a regular basis. Sure, there are also financial issues. As for home care, such services are not covered by Medicare, but you can save some money due to tax breaks. Besides, veterans and their spouses may apply for an increase of a pension that is aimed to partly cover the expenses. To pay for the services of assisted living facilities, you will also have to use your savings or ask your children or relatives to help. Speaking about nursing homes, private insurance companies, as well as Medicare, cover the services of such facilities for the period of 100 days per year only. Medicaid payments are not accepted in most cases. You are also likely to get a discount, if you have a long-term care insurance or a veteran’s pension. So, the majority of patients have to count on their families to help them pay the bills.
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