When an elderly loved one needs more care than a family member or a friend can provide, the decision to seek assistance can be difficult. The number of options available can seem overwhelming, but there are ways to narrow down the search.
There are a variety of housing options as well as nursing homes that people can choose from, said Vera Prosper, a senior policy analyst for the New York State Office for the Aging.
There are also home health aides that can come to the house and care for the individual on varying levels. When it comes time to make a decision regarding care, there are a number of factors to consider.
`What’s the best alternative for you? How old was the person? What was the reason for decline? It doesn’t even have to be a hospitalization,` said Prosper. `People decline through the ageing process. Is it physical? Is it emotional or social? Is it Alzheimer’s? What is the prognosis and what kind of support network do people have in place? Are they living near family members? Are they in a situation where family members can step in place and provide the care giving?`
Prosper said that the move might not necessarily be to a housing or licensed facility. More and more people are able to stay in their own homes because there is a team of caregivers, family members and friends who can keep the individual in place.
After the initial questions are asked, there is another major consideration, Prosper said.
`Can you afford it? There are subsidized housing alternatives for people with low income, and then there are private pay options for people who can afford to pay whatever the facility is providing,` said Prosper. `The second consideration is what are your service needs?`
She said a person might like one alternative, but it might not provide the level of care and services a loved one needs, and even though two facilities might have the same name, they might provide different services. A large part of this depends on licensure ` some facilities are licensed to provide more services than others.
`Someone needs to make a site visit with that older person, and if the older person can’t do it, then do it without the older person and find out exactly what the facility is providing and when would you have to leave that facility,` said Prosper.
Rosalyn Larrabee, marketing director for Ingersoll Place in Niskayuna, said a change in housing situation can be a major strain for the elderly, but there are a number of options available.
`These people are coming with big change. They have owned homes and now somebody is saying, ‘You really can’t be alone anymore,’` said Larrabee.
`Some do prepare, some don’t, some come to us in a crisis situation where they’re in a hospital and they can’t go home. There are options, though.`
An assisted living community, such as Ingersoll Place, provides residents with three meals a day, activities, snacks and laundry service. Housekeeping makes the beds of the residents each day and cleans individual living quarters. Transportation is provided to certain shopping areas, as well as doctor’s appointments, and family members and friends can come and go as they please, and residents are free to come and go as they please with friends or family members.
`Assisted living communities combine housing with personalized services and some health-care assistance. It’s designed to help those not able to live on their own,` said Larrabee in a written statement.
A service called NY Connects: Long Term Care in New York State provides information and referrals on services in almost all the counties throughout the state. A Web site can help match a person with a facility that meets his or her needs. For information, go to www.nyconnects.org.
`When you’re getting up there in age, you should really be looking around and making these kinds of decisions before a crisis happens,` said Prosper.
For information, visit www.aging.ny.gov, or www.ingersollplace.com. “