Are you looking for a personal care home for a loved one? Maybe you’re looking for an elderly parent or another relative who needs help on a daily basis. Searching for a care facility isn’t an easy task. You have to consider a handful of factors starting with price.
If your family doesn’t have a budget for a private care facility, your choices are limited. However, if your family can afford to place your loved one into a private facility, you shouldn’t hesitate to spend the money.
1. Private facilities provide feel-good aesthetics
Aesthetics matter more than you might realize. Your loved one is moving out of their home – somewhere they feel comfortable – and into a new environment where they’ll be surrounded by unfamiliarity. With so many unfamiliar things and people, they won’t feel truly at home.
Making your loved one feel at home is critical to their wellbeing. Many people become depressed and despondent living in facilities that feel like a hospital or a poorly decorated group home. That’s why a private personal care home is the best choice.
Private care facilities are intentionally created to feel like a home. Medical staff and nurses visit patients regularly, but the environment doesn’t feel like a sterile hospital. A great example of a well-decorated private facility is the Blanton House at Cotton Grove Estate. The common areas, including the kitchen, dining room, and entertainment area are all decorated just like a home.
2. State-run facilities are cheap for a reason
Private personal care homes cost more than state-run facilities. Many people pay out of pocket, but some people are covered by long-term care insurance.
State-run personal care homes are more affordable than private care facilities. Usually, residents use their Social Security benefits to pay for their monthly bills or are given free services if they are considered low income. Although the financial cost is less, living in a state-run facility could cost your loved one their wellbeing.
State facilities are notorious for having a high rate of abuse and bad food – two things you need to make sure your loved one doesn’t encounter. Bad food may not sound like a big deal, but imagine being given meals every day that taste bad and you can’t just go out and get something else to eat.
3. Private personal care homes provide better care
There’s no denying that state-paid nurses and nurses’ aides work hard and many care deeply for their patients. However, patients are often rushed through meals and left alone without more than a minute or two of personal interaction from staff.
It’s not the staff’s fault when their facility can’t provide top-quality care for their patients. They’re doing everything they can with a limited amount of resources and time, and they’re still overworked and exhausted.
Private personal care homes provide superior care for residents because the facilities are staffed to allow for patient interaction in addition to providing physical assistance. Many private care facilities, including assisted living and nursing homes, were created by people who recognized the need for better care.
4. Home care options aren’t what you think
If you’re considering home care rather than a care facility, you may not get enough care. It’s hard to get approved for hours even when your needs are extreme. It’s even harder to coordinate with multiple providers for anything beyond basic needs. Since there’s a shortage of caregivers and nurses, many independent providers are allowed to be picky about their schedules since that freedom is the only way the care companies can get workers.
The New Republic published an article detailing everything that’s wrong with the home care system along with several frightening stories. For example, a 108-year-old Washington woman with dementia was receiving 24 hours of home care covered by Medicaid. At a time when the state had a budget surplus, they reduced her approved care to 19 hours. Her dementia made her prone to choking, but they still cut her care hours.
Another elderly woman was dropped from 24 hours to four hours. The woman’s daughter said that when her mother was left alone for just 15 minutes during a shift change, she managed to leave the house and walk into a department store where she was arrested and then hospitalized.
Private care is worth every penny
Your loved one deserves to feel at home, happy, and comfortable in their assisted living facility. They’re not going to get that from a state-run facility, and home care is unlikely to provide enough care. Moving your loved one into private care is an expense you can’t afford to spare.