Deciding whether your loved one needs long-term care can sometimes be difficult. Part of the problem is that it is usually a multi-faceted decision involving medical and financial factors to consider. There is also the emotional aspect of it, especially if long-term care means your loved one has to leave home to be in an assisted living community. If you are wondering whether your loved one needs long-term care, here is what you need to know about making this decision.
Safety Considerations
As the years progress, our loved ones may be unable to handle most of the activities they were able to. For example, if they are suffering from mobility problems, there is the risk of accidents around the house. Most residential homes do not have the safety features to mitigate this risk. Such safety features include grab bars and non-slip floors, which protect your loved one from slips and falls. But even with these, there are still significant safety issues. For example, is your loved one able to operate the stove safely or appliances such as the oven? If their safety is in doubt, it may be time to look around for long-term care.
Meal Preparation
Another aspect that needs to be considered when it comes to the long-term care of your loved one is their ability to prepare balanced meals. This is because meal preparation is quite an engaging process and is often not easy for someone with mobility or other health problems. Getting the right ingredients for meal preparation may pose a challenge to most people. If your loved one is struggling with this, there is a danger that they may settle for take-outs and other unhealthy meals. This can have a negative effect on their health. In such cases, it may be prudent o have your loved one receive long-term care in an assisted living community.
Financial Management
One of the effects of memory loss problems is that your loved one may lose the ability to carry out everyday activities such as running errands or managing their money. Typically, you may find that they may make questionable decisions when it comes to finances. They may also get lost when they try to go for errands as they can’t remember their way home. For all these reasons, it is important to ensure they get long-term care to help address most of these problems. For example, in assisted living communities, residents get concierge services where professionals handle errands, bill payments, etc. This ensures you don’t have to worry that your loved one will make the wrong financial decisions. Such communities also provide transport services that ensure your loved one can get to where they need to go and back safely without any physical risk to their physical self.
Social Interactions
Another additional point to note is that assisted living communities can help your loved one enjoy a higher quality of life thanks to memory care programs and social interactions. Your loved one gets a chance to interact with other residents, which may help improve their mental health.
