Home Care vs. Assisted Living

Each year, we talk with families making the decision between home care and assisted living. This is an important decision as it involves issues of cost, trust, social engagement, and safety.

We want to help families understand the differences as they think through the best care option for them.

At Griswold Home Care for Wilmington, we specifically provide home care services. So, we obviously believe in home care as a great option. That said, we also realize home care might not be the best fit for your family. It all depends on your desires and specific circumstances. If an assisted living community is the best care option for you, we want you to understand why and next steps.

This article explains the pros and cons of both home care and assisted living in an honest and transparent way. We want to give you the information you need. Then you can choose the best senior care option for you.

Before diving into the pros and cons of each, let’s first define what each option is.

Home Care

Home care provides professional caregivers who come to your home to provide needed care. This care can include transportation, meal preparation, laundry, and light housekeeping. Caregivers can also provide assistance with getting around, help with bathing, dressing, and toileting, companionship, safety supervision, and more.

Assisted Living

Assisted Living refers to a residential community that a senior moves to that provides extra services and care. Assisted living communities typically provide all meals, medication management, transportation, laundry, and housekeeping. They often have daily activities and special events for their residents. They are staffed 24/7 and also able to provide assistance with personal care such as bathing, dressing, and toileting.

Home Care Benefits and Considerations

Home Care Offers Seniors:

• The freedom to stay at home, which means familiarity and connection to memories. A move can be difficult on older adults, especially those with Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia. Home care allows seniors to remain in their familiar environment.
• One-on-one attention. One-on-one care means that the senior receiving care won’t have to wait for his or her caregiver to finish assisting others. The caregiver is specifically there for that one senior!
• Customization for each individual’s unique needs and schedule. With home care, you should have a care plan customized for you! When you work with Griswold Home Care for Wilmington, our nurse works with you to create a care plan to meet the unique needs and budget of your family. Care can range from a few hours of care a week to round-the-clock care, depending on the needed assistance.
• Hours that grow as needs grow. An individual who just needs occasional assistance has the freedom to schedule occasional care. As needs grow, times can be extended and days added to the schedule up to 24/7 care.
• The privacy and benefits of remaining at home. In addition to staying in a familiar place, remaining at home typically also offers more square footage that is the senior’s personal space compared to an assisted living apartment. This space often includes guest rooms where seniors can continue to host family and friends as desired.
• A lower cost than Assisted Living when care needs are lower. A good rule of thumb? Home care is typically more affordable for an individual scheduling 40 hours of care a week or less.

Considerations:

• Consider home upkeep and needed modifications. While one pro of home care includes the ability to stay in a familiar home, this can also be a con when: 1. The home requires a lot of upkeep because of its size, age, or condition; or 2. Modifications to meet accessibility needs are either significant or difficult for that specific home, making it unsafe for the senior.
• Social engagement is more limited to and dependent on caregivers. While caregivers can and do provide outings and activities with their clients, home care tends to provide more one-on-one interactions while assisted living provides more group opportunities… which brings us to our first pro for Assisted Living.

Assisted Living Benefits and Considerations

Assisted Living offers seniors:

• Built-in access to a higher level of group social engagement. Most assisted living communities have a calendar of daily activities and events that their residents can choose from. These can include outings, music, art, dance, speakers, presentations, classes, and more. Most also provide three meals a day in a group environment so that residents have regular social interaction.
• Amenities. These range significantly from one community to another, with high-end communities providing resort-style living, fine dining, pool access, and more.
• Automatic availability of 24/7 care staff. With assisted living, assistance is on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Freedom of apartment living. Residents of assisted living communities experience freedom from the responsibilities of keeping up a home.
• Communities are built with the needs of seniors in mind. The layout and details of an Assisted Living community should specifically meet the accessibility and safety needs of seniors.
• A lower cost than Home Care when care needs require more hours. Again, the rule of thumb is that individuals needing more than 40 hours of care a week may find Assisted Living more affordable.

Considerations:

• Be aware of the stress of moving and relocating. Moving to an assisted living community likely means leaving a home, making decisions about downsizing, a physical move, and adjusting to a new location and schedule. These changes sometimes cause anxiety and confusion, as well as a decline in those with dementia. Be prepared for this possibility.
• Be prepared for a smaller living space. Most seniors will have to downsize to move into an Assisted Living apartment. In Wilmington, NC, the assisted living apartments range from a 305 square foot studio to a 1286 square foot two-bedroom apartment. Seniors will have access to much larger community spaces, such as living areas and dining areas, but their personal space will likely be smaller than they have been accustomed to.
• Assisted Living provides a lower staff-to-resident ratio than home care. This is important to keep in mind if a senior has more of a need for one-on-one care. Home care can still be provided within the assisted living setting, but it will be an additional cost on top of the cost of assisted living. It is helpful to find out what level of care is available at the community and what can be added either through the community or from an outside agency.

Summary

Assisted Living provides a great option for seniors who enjoy group interaction, trying new things, being around a variety of people, and dining with others. Families may also prefer assisted living if they want their loved one to have some 24/7 oversight without hiring 24/7 home care. My grandparents moved to an assisted living community when they decided to move closer to family. Since they were leaving the familiarity of their home to move closer to their daughter, assisted living seemed the best fit for their situation. While the smaller apartment size can be a con, it could also be a pro for seniors overwhelmed by keeping up with a larger home. They may enjoy not feeling “responsible” for the larger space while still having access to the shared spaces in the community.

Most seniors want to age in place. Home Care is a great option for seniors who will benefit from the familiarity of their home, who prefer one-on-one interactions to group settings, who enjoy their routines, and who just love their home. It is also best for those whose 24/7 needs require more of a one-on-one level of supervision. From a strictly financial viewpoint, it is the more affordable option for individuals needing about 40 hours of care or less a week. Home care can be brought in to provide regular respite for family caregivers and allow couples to stay together when only one of them needs care. Home care also avoids the stress of a move to a new environment. While the more limited group social engagement can be a con for some personalities, it could also be a pro. Our clients tend to enjoy the one-on-one relationships and routines they form with their caregivers.

Next Steps

If you are leaning toward assisted living, there are case managers and assisted living locators who can help you in your search. Assisted living locators tend to provide their services at no cost to the client as they receive their payment through referral fees from the communities. They should listen to your needs and desires. They can then provide direction and assistance based on their familiarity with the different options in the community. Case managers or aging life care professionals typically charge their clients for their services. While that means an additional fee for you, it can also provide the assurance that their suggestions will not be biased by outside compensation. You can also choose to contact the communities you are interested in directly to ask your questions and set up tours.

If you decide home care fits your family’s needs, and you live in the greater Wilmington area, we would love the opportunity to serve your family. Please contact us so that we can answer your questions and set up an initial assessment with one of our nurses. At the initial assessment, we will learn more about your care needs and work together to develop the best schedule to meet those needs. You can learn more about the next steps for beginning home care here.

We trust this information has been helpful! If you need help discussing care options with a senior loved one, you can find some helpful tips here.