Photo by Ron Lach
Choosing whether to provide hospice at home or facility can be challenging, particularly if you’re thinking about safety and want what is best for your elderly parents.
One Caregiver’s Journey author Eleanor Gaccetta knows how perplexing it might be in that circumstance. After all, she had a similar experience without the post-pandemic caregiving standards in place today. The book spans over 9 ½ years, during which Gaccetta provided full-time family care, making it a wealth of knowledge and experience.
You should keep a few things in mind to help you choose the ideal care choice for your senior parent.
Are Your Elderly Parents Capable of Staying in the House for Long-Term Caregiving?
Being at home is quite comforting for many individuals, and some people are convinced that staying at home is superior to residing in assisted living centers or nursing homes.
Having people at home to help with the responsibilities that older people can no longer perform is frequently greatly appreciated, even when people with more serious medical conditions might not have a choice.
In-home assistance might include simple housekeeping tasks like washing and cleaning to advanced solutions like specialized nursing care and medication support based on your parent’s needs.
However, certain modifications to these insurances may have occurred due to recent post-pandemic caregiving practices that must be considered when choosing between home or facility hospice care.
What if Your Elderly Parents Happen to Live Alone?
People who don’t have significant disabilities benefit from extra help with daily tasks like cleaning, cooking, or dishwashing. This is because it is typical for elderly parents to be living alone or with someone else who is also physically less fit than they previously were.
Your parent can get daily assistance from a home healthcare assistant. Home healthcare aides are ideal for this arrangement because they provide specialized care if an elderly person needs help and wants to stay home.
Someone with a parent who wishes to keep their independence may find home healthcare an enticing choice. It maintains their autonomy while allowing them to customize the care they get.
Once her mother’s health declined and circumstances made it possible, Eleanor Gaccetta in-home hospice care. Since she understood her mother would have preferred to remain at home, she quickly chose hospice care at home over hospice care at a facility.
She was grateful for the choice because it allowed her to spend moments with her mother until her final moments.
Is it Possible for Your Parents to Move in and Live With You?
If your parents can no longer live alone, moving in with you and your family can be an amicable solution. They would choose this if they wanted to avoid being in assisted living facilities. This might appear to be the best alternative for your elder parents. Family members may not be ready or aware of the duties and efforts involved in caring for elderly parents. The worry that one of your parents might fall or encounter a medical emergency and be powerless to contact you for help is diminished by moving in with you.
During the pandemic, many families moved elder parents in with them. Initially, the move was to ensure families would retain contact and their loved ones would have care. After the pandemic ended, families maintained being multi-generational because the costs of senior living facilities have gone beyond reach. Since people have returned to work there are numerous agencies that can assist in providing certain types of care. It allows families to remain together and to enjoy each other.
Should You Worry About Your Parents Needing Assisted Living?
The debate about home health care vs. hospice facilities may be resolved by thoroughly understanding your parent’s medical condition, assisted living, or various in-patient, long-term care options. It’s time to look into assisted living if your parent has issues that require more support than you can provide or if a certified specialist is needed.
You and your elderly parents should be truthful and forthcoming about what is most beneficial for them and their needs. Although talking about going into assisted living facilities may be uncomfortable and complex, it’s a talk that needs to happen.
Assisted living is frequently a great choice since elderly parents can live in a monitored environment with individuals their age, circumstance, and post-pandemic caregiving protocols for the elderly.
Picking Between Hospice at Home or Facility Is Not What’s Important
Picking between a hospice at home or facility is a crucial and challenging decision to make. But, you must remember that you are doing this as a son or daughter who wishes nothing but the best for your parents. You need to take a thoughtful approach and focus on your parents’ interests and well-being.
Eleanor Gaccetta’s One Caregiver’s Journey is an excellent place to start if you want someone who can relate. Give the book a try and get a glimpse of Eleanor’s journey as a caregiver!
The Happy Hammock 