Comparing Assisted Living and Home Care
July 11, 2022 | Resources
There’s nothing adult children want more than to know their parents are safe, secure, healthy, and enjoying life.
Most adult children have work obligations and children of various ages to care for—in addition to upkeep on their own homes and the everyday chores of grocery shopping, meal preparation, laundry, and housework.
It’s not that adult children don’t want to help their parents: the simple reality is that most don’t have the time—and many don’t feel qualified to help with some of the specific physical or medical issues their parents may be experiencing.
Of additional concern is the loneliness and depression—and resulting health problems—older parents may be suffering. This dilemma often leaves adult children with two options for helping their parents: Assisted Living and Home Health Care.
Home Health Aides
“I absolutely will not leave my home. Ever. Period, end of story.” Christina was prepared for this kind of reaction when she mentioned to her mother that maybe her large, three-story home was getting to be a bit too much to care for. And after her mother’s second knee replacement last month, Christina was even more concerned. Evelyn, her mother, wasn’t bouncing back as quickly as she had after her first knee replacement and was often tired and sometimes dizzy.
Christina knew her mother needed help.
The first aide Christina hired was a second-year nursing student at a nearby community college and had been recommended by a work associate. She lasted three days before leaving in the middle of the day, meaning Christina had to miss a meeting at work to take her mother to a doctor’s appointment.
When Evelyn insisted she didn’t need nursing help, Christina hired a housekeeper, who lasted ten days, saying she made more money as a waitress.
Over her mother’s objections, Christine next contacted an agency, which recommended a combination of skilled nursing and physical therapy care. These professionals worked well with Evelyn, but neither was there one Tuesday evening when she caught her slipper on the corner of a bathmat and fell, hitting her head on the vanity.
Christina slumped forward in her chair in the ER waiting room, her head in her hands, dreading the radiologist’s results of her mother’s MRI, asking herself over and over again: How am I going to care for my mother?
Assisted Living
In trying to do absolutely everything to honor her mother’s desire to stay in her home, Christina realized she was doing both her mother and herself a disservice. Trying to keep her mother in the family home has taken a toll on Evelyn, who has sustained a serious injury, and Christina, who is completely overwhelmed and stressed.
Developed in the late 1970s and expanded in the 1980s, Assisted Living has its origins in another mother-daughter story. Gerontologist Keren Brown Wilson, whose mother had a stroke at 55, sought to find a living situation for her mother that provided the care she needed but respected her autonomy and independence. The care available at the time was limited to the hospital-like setting of a nursing home, which was more medical care than Dr. Wilson’s mother needed.
Thus was born the concept of Assisted Living: personalized care delivered by skilled professionals, available around the clock, to residents living in private apartment homes.
Empowering seniors to be active participants in making decisions about their care and providing services to support social, cognitive, and physical engagement and wellness are the goals of Assisted Living.
A Happy Ending
Evelyn was fortunate in that the injury she sustained was a concussion, not a hematoma as her doctor had feared. But the fall frightened her, and the week she spent in the hospital for recovery and observation gave her time to reflect on her living situation. She decided to spend a few weeks in Respite Care at a Life Plan Community nearby, and, during her stay, learned about Assisted Living. Evelyn knew this was the right fit: best for her and best for Christina.
She and Christina toured the community campus, and visited several models of Assisted Living apartment homes.
“I think the living room drapes would work nicely in this Wellington floorplan front window,” Evelyn said. “What do you think, Christina?”
Christina smiled. All the emotions of the past year—the fears, the worry, the arguments, the stress, the uncertainty—melted away. “Mother, I think it’s very nice to be talking about decorating.”
At Foxwood Springs retirement community, we’re small enough that you’ll see familiar faces everywhere. And large enough that you’ll explore exceptional experiences at every turn. Come join our group of very active residents, who participate in clubs and groups, lend their experience to community government, and volunteer for favorite causes, both on and off campus. Visit our secluded oasis in the perfect suburban location, with easy access to all the places you want to explore, all the friends you want to meet, and all the discoveries you want to make.
