19 Mar Assisted Living vs. Home Care – Which is Better?”
If you’ve started looking into senior care options for a loved one, you’ve likely come across options for assisted living and home care. While both services help with similar daily activities of living, they mainly differ based on where the care is provided.
What’s the Difference Between Assisted Living and Home Care?
Assisted living homes provide housing and care services to active seniors who can’t live independently. This requires relocating your loved one to a residential facility to receive care, which is provided by facility staff members who often care for multiple residents during a shift.
Home care, one of the fastest growing and most requested services in the United States, allows individuals to receive care within the comfort of their own homes. Services are provided by a caregiver who spends dedicated one-on-one time with your loved one.
What is the Cost of Assisted Living vs. Home Care?
Cost is usually the biggest deciding factor when it comes to choosing between these two forms of care.
For assisted living, the average monthly cost in Texas is around $4,000 to $5,000 per month. These costs often include amenities such as three meals per day, social activities, and accessible housing features. Residents typically pay one price for 24/7 care regardless if they don’t need that level of full-time care.
If your loved one does not need full time care, home care is generally less expensive. On average home care services have an hourly rate of $30. So, if your loved one only needs 4 hours of care from Monday-Friday to help with their morning routine (e.g. eating, dressing, bathing, breakfast), then this comes out to 80 hours per month for $2,400 total.
Assisted Living – Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Scheduling caregivers is not necessary.
- Families can increase their loved one’s level of care as needed.
- Safety modifications don’t need to be added to the home.
- Families can have peace of mind knowing their loved one is receiving 24/7 care.
- Facilities usually offer more social activities: including bingo, movie nights, and holiday festivities.
- Some provide health care services on-site.
Cons:
- Your loved one may not want to leave the home they have lived in for years.
- Residents may feel uncomfortable and need time to adjust.
- Privacy can be limited since the facility is shared with other residents.
- Costs can get expensive depending on the types of amenities offered.
- Care is less personalized and focused on individual needs,
- Facility staff cares for multiple residents at a time.
- Not all facilities are equal, with concerns around outdated equipment, low quality meals, and inattentive staff.
Home Care – Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Seniors can stay in the comfort of their own homes and age in place.
- Dedicated one-on-one care that can be customized to unique needs and preferences.
- Families can choose their loved one’s caregiver and monitor interactions.
- Seniors and caregivers often develop a strong bond and companionship.
- More flexibility on the hours, costs, and types of services.
- Generally a more affordable option based on your loved one’s needs.
Cons:
- Home modifications are often necessary to improve safety, such as adding handrails to walkways and bathrooms.
- Risk of isolation side effects like anxiety and depression when their caregiver is not around.
- Families usually have to be more involved when it comes to managing or scheduling their loved one’s caregiver.
- While caregivers can help with transportation to medical appointments, they do not directly provide medical care.
How to Make the Right Decision
This is often one of the biggest struggles we see when it comes to planning for senior care. We believe that it is important to have an open conversation with your loved one first before making a choice. When the person receiving care is able to voice their input or wants and needs the transition is often smoother. There are a few things to consider when you are making the choice of assisted living or home care.
- How much care time will a loved one need?
- Will safety modifications be easy to make within their home?
- Levels of independence
If the senior in your life is still thriving on their own but could benefit from additional support, home care is an excellent choice. If more involved 24/7 care is needed, assisted living might be the better option depending on what a facility can provide. In the end, when choosing between assisted living or home care, the bottom line should be the comfort and support that is best for your loved one.
—
