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For some people, remaining at home isolates them from social activity and limits mental stimulation. Although friends and family often intend to provide lots of companionship, too many elders wind up spending their days in bed asleep or watching television. An organized elder residence, on the other hand, offers both a community of people and a constant stream of activities.
The Possibility of Savings
In addition to the physical and emotional advantages of remaining at home, there can also be significant financial savings if the care required is not too complicated or frequent and family and friends help out. While residential care facilities average $30,000 to $100,000 a year, home care can average from 25% to 90% less, depending on what care is required. You save by not paying for unnecessary services or institutional overhead. The things you provide yourself at home -- food, drugs, and supplies -- come without any nursing facility mark-up.
However, home care often becomes more expensive over time. Home care needs may become more extensive or complicated, and family members may not be able to pick up the slack, which could require additional paid care and services. Sometimes, hidden expenses make the true cost of home care too high. Families often fail to calculate peripheral expenses: the continued or expanded cost of running a home (such as taxes, utilities, insurance, and maintenance); the cost to family members of transportation and missed work; and the costs of temporary workers to fill in when family members can't make it or when regular care falls through.
Assessing the Quality of Care
Though the comfort and financial advantages of home care sound attractive, you may have some doubts about whether the quality of home care compares to the qualify of care in a nursing facility or other elder residence.
Medical and nursing care. The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses' Association, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services all stand behind the quality of medical and nursing care delivered by home care agencies that are certified by both Medicare and your state's home care licensing agency. So, when medical or nursing care -- as opposed to assistance with nonmedical activities of daily living -- is a significant part of the home care you need, you should seek help from certified agencies rather than independent caregivers. Also, ask your doctor whether the medical or nursing care you require can be safely and adequately delivered at home.
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