The elderly may learn that they need care for a number of different reasons. Some may need some help with just normal everyday activities while there are some that need some rather intensive care especially if they suffer from certain ailments. As age progresses, so does the likelihood that the elderly may develop a number of diseases and conditions, some of which are known as degenerative conditions. Those who suffer from degenerative conditions will most likely continue to get progressively worse. Because of that progression, most elderly individuals with degenerative conditions will continue to become more dependent. Of course, there are those elderly who simply suffer from other ailments. For them, intensive care may be needed to help recover from an illness or accident. For these individuals, their care may not be as long term as those who suffer from conditions that are not expected to improve.
Learning that an elderly family member needs care can be a quite stressful realization. In fact, most children of the elderly think that once their parents need care, if ever, they will be able to care for them themselves. However, this is not always the case. In fact, it is quite rare. It is not always possible to care for an ailing parent, especially given the life stressors that already exist including career and family life. That being said, it can be incredibly disappointing to know that you need to put your parent(s) in the care of someone else. Once that determination has been realized, you may need to shift your thinking into deciding exactly where your parent will receive their care. In all likelihood, you want your parent to receive the best care possible and in the best setting.
Not all of the care that the elderly receive has to be long term. Some care may simply warrant a short stay in the hospital. It could also be a short stay in a residential care home. Either way, once the individual returns home, there may be some additional supports or modifications that need to take place to ensure that the individual is able to stay comfortably in their home setting.
There are specialist firms providing care services in the patient’s own home. This could be the ideal solution to someone returning home following a stay in hospital. These firms are able to best accommodate the needs of the individual patient and can work with both the patient and their loved ones to help establish the supports needed to aid the patient in their recovery and to ensure that they receive the best care possible to promote a healthy and safe living environment. It is also possible to adjust and change the care plan as health improves. Once the patient is fully recovered, if that occurs, it is possible to simply end the care. So, this solution works perfectly for those who are recovering from an illness or accident and know that their needs may change as they continue to improve. There is a great deal of flexibility with this kind of treatment and it can be modified as needs change. This type of care can also be of benefit when it comes to couples as well, especially if one partner in the couple is the full time caregiver for the other. If they become ill, care can be brought in temporarily to provide respite which avoids the need for the dependent partner to leave their home and move into a care home. This care, again, only has to be in place while the other partner returns to full strength and can go back to their caregiver responsibilities. So, this kind of in-home care can be of great benefit for those who know that they do not need full time, long term care. Instead, this kind of schedule allows those who need short term care to get the care they need as they slowly get better.
One concern that many have about using this kind of short term care in their own home is how they would possibly be able to afford it. Equity release could be on option to consider as it allows you to stay in your own home while you are able to get the help you need at the same time. Equity release allows you to release the capital required to cover your care needs without the need for you to sell your home. Because there are many different equity release or enhanced lifetime mortgage schemes now available it is important that you seek specialist financial advice in this area.
