Narrowing Down All the Care Choices

Navigating the vast number of senior care choices that you have in front of you, especially in a large area like the San Francisco Bay Area, is a daunting task. There are many different types of care to choose from, let alone dozens or more of services or individuals that fit into each type of category. By the time you compiles what all of your possible choices are, you would have hundreds of decisions to make–and probably not nearly enough time or energy to start narrowing things down with any sort of precision. There’s no doubt about it; getting a family member started in their senior care journey can be overwhelming.

 

However, this is one of the most important choices that you will ever help make with your family. Choosing the right senior care for a loved one is not a small thing. All of the various factors of your loved one’s health and preferences need to be taken into account, not to mention the fact that as they age, their needs are very likely to change.

 

This can be very confusing, but it doesn’t need to be quite so overwhelming. My advice for you is to keep your parent at the center of everything that you do. If you can do this, their needs will help make some of the tougher decisions for you. If you do this, suddenly you will find that your list of choices narrows down in a significant way. For example, let’s say that your mom is in pretty good health, but has trouble gathering the energy to do all of the things that she needs to do to get through the day. In-home care for a few hours per week is a great solution here. Anything more than this might end up hurting her more than helping her as her freedom and independence are slightly restricted otherwise.

 

There are a lot of care choices out there. Narrowing them down will help this to be a lot more manageable.

 

Here’s another example: your dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and has been found wandering out in the street a couple times. Assisted living, or even a nursing home, will be much better for his needs here. In this situations, he will have the around the clock supervision that he needs to stay safe. If his physical needs are greater, than an assisted living facility might not be enough. Either way, a memory care setting will be far more beneficial than other types of care.

 

If you are unsure of what your loved one’s needs are, get in touch with a doctor. The more you know, the more likely you are to make the best choice for your loved one.

 

After this, talk with your parent. Find out what it is that they want. This will make your decision even easier. Finally, figure out what the least restrictive type of care that still meets all of their needs is.

 

Now, move from the theoretical to the practical. Take the care type or types that meet your parent’s needs, and apply it to what is around you. Suddenly, your choices have gone from hundreds or organizations, to hopefully just a handful. This process will make finding the best care for your parent a lot easier to manage.

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