Elder Care
From LoveToKnow Seniors
Facts about Elder Care
As we age, we may lose some of our ability, through illness or injury, to properly take care of ourselves. These disabilities result in the need for some form of elder care. Caregivers often include family members and friends before professional care is solicited.
Many seniors with day-to-day limitations are not frail enough to require nursing homes, though they clearly need assistance. Loved ones desire to do all they can, but it is not always feasible to take time apart from work and home to address the needs of the elderly.
When Elder Care is Needed
Investigating elder care resources should optimally occur at the first signs of the senior's decline. As a result, the caregiver is less overwhelmed with seeking and digesting new information, making arrangements, or rushing to find elder care services. Here are some of the signs indicating that elder care may be needed:
- Decline in activities of daily living (ADL)
- Neglect of personal hygiene, difficulty with meal preparation, poor eating, etc.
- Increased isolation
- Failure to take medication as needed
- Loss of driving privileges
- Decline in faculties (hearing, sight, judgment)
- Poor mobility (walking, balance)
Types of Care Available
Elder care is comprised of several categories, including senior housing and senior services. The following covers the main types of assistance available:
Adult Day Care
A program or structured setting that offers personal care assistance, activities, meals, and socialization for seniors needing support. Adult day care centers often operate during normal business hours.
In-Home Care
Services provided in the senior's home, by professionals or lay persons, that help the senior with activities of daily living (ADL) such as:
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Cooking
- Housekeeping
- Companionship
- Transportation
- Mobility assistance
Home health care employs skilled nurses and health aides to assist with various physical and psychological therapies; possibly in addition to standard in-home care.
Independent Living
Independent living includes a variation of senior housing that allows individuals to live in a residential setting that is easily maintained and accessible. Some independent facilities offer additional services such as:
- Communal meals
- Housekeeping
- Transportation
Assisted Living
Assisted Living covers residential facilities that address the needs of the elderly, who require moderate to substantial personal care, but do not require a nursing home. Assisted living centers may offer private or shared living-quarters but are typically not equipped to address most medical needs.
Dementia Facilities
Found in a variety of settings, including nursing homes, these services focus on the specific needs of the elderly with dementia-related disorders, including early Alzheimer's disease.
Continuum of Care Facilities
These facilities include residential properties or campuses that offer many services on an as-needed-basis and can meet the changing medical needs of the elderly. This allows the senior to maintain a residence even as their health and personal care needs advance.
Long-term Care Definitions
Elder care terminology involves many names and acronyms. The following are some of the common terms you will come across:
- Accreditation: A seal of approval given to a housing or service provider that has both been reviewed and meets regulatory requirements. Some forms of accreditation in senior care include: CCAC (Continuing Care Accreditation Commission) and JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations).
- Activities of Daily Living (ADL): Day-to-day activities such as, eating, hygiene, walking, housekeeping, and other personal care needs.
- Case Manager: A social worker or health care professional, who reviews, plans, coordinates, and manages the health and welfare needs of the senior.
- Home Health Care: Medical care provided in the home by a health professional, including nurses, nurse aides, physical therapists, and social workers.
- Home Health Aide: A licensed or non-licensed individual who provides personal care and/or household services.
- Hospice: Care for terminally ill patients and families, either at home or in a health facility.
- Long-Term Care Insurance: Private insurance which provides payment for pre-determined health care costs.
- Medicaid: A federal and state government program that pays for health care for low-income people. Each state has different requirements and benefits.
- Medicare: Federal insurance program that provides health care coverage for individuals aged 65 or over and for the disabled that qualify.
- Ombudsman: An individual who investigates complaints against a nursing home or senior resident facility.
- Respite: Temporary personal care services provided in the home, community setting, or elder care facility.
For the Caregiver
This can be a difficult time to admit that, as a caregiver, you need outside help. Do not feel guilty; everyone has limitations. You will soon find that many individuals are in a similar situation.
Caregivers will help their loved one best by taking care of both the senior's needs and their own. Some caregivers can manage with partial assistance. In addition, there are social and support programs available to help the caregiver adjust to the senior's changing and often substantial demands.
For More Information
The Eldercare Locator is a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging. It provides seniors and their caregivers with resources and information on senior services.
Related Senior Links
Learn More
This page has been accessed 2,106 times. This page was last modified 04:53, 18 January 2007.
© 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.
Print this page
Follow ltk on twitter
Visit us on facebook