Planning for in-home care is not a simple consideration; there are several aspects to factor in. With the senile population of America insisting on staying in their own homes till their last breath, in-home help becomes the need of the hour at some point or the other. In-home care can be for a few hours a day or 24×7 depending on the condition of the patient.

Did you know that the population above 65 years is expected to grow from 56 million to 73 million by 2030? This implies that the need for in-home care is only likely to increase. In such a scenario, early planning to purchase insurance coverage that offers in-home care benefits would be definitely a wise step.

UNDERSTANDING MEDICARE

While some insurance providers will cover certain specific in-home care services, they may vary from one plan to another. When it comes to in-home care coverage, most insurance providers follow Medicare regulations. Therefore, it’s important to understand how Medicare works so that you can make an informed decision.

Hospital insurance covers the healthcare stays of patients in hospitals or nursing facilities or hospice care. It can cover in-home care for patients in case the receiver is home-bound or requires the assistance of a physical therapist or nurse to function. In such conditions, the patient also receives Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, or Home Health Aide if needed and gets insurance coverage.

But it’s worth noting these services will only be provided in addition to another care meeting to the mentioned criteria. This implies that right from the point of skilled care is not required for the patient, the insurance wouldn’t cover it anymore.

UNDERSTANDING MEDICAID

Yet another important health insurance program, Medicaid is devised to cater to the needs of the low-income group. It is jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Medicaid covers blind, disabled, and other individuals including children who are eligible for receiving federal assisted payments. In essence, Medicaid is an income-based health insurance coverage that follows the FPL or Federal Poverty Level Table for setting the income eligibility of receiving individuals.

Compared to Medicare, Medicaid is even more complex since individual states run differently based on their distinct pool of income for various classes of in-home care. Since it is jointly funded, an individual may receive Medicaid-managed care in place of Medicaid itself. The best part is that Medicaid-managed care offers an extensive and long-term service while the people administering it are in-home care providers themselves.

While Medicare will bear the cost of in-home care prescribed by healthcare professionals, it can only qualify for intermittent care which is less than 8 hours in a day for less than 7 days every week. On the other hand, assistance in bathing and other non-medical care do not qualify. The coverage for Medicaid is decided at the state level which means no set rule applies to all regions.

PAYING FOR IN-HOME CARE

With chronic health issues and recovery from illnesses like dementia or the normal process of aging taking a toll on a person’s health, opting for in-home care becomes necessary. In such situations, it is natural for families to become concerned about the costs of home care services and the financial coverage that they can avail for the same.

In the first step, it is important to understand the kind of care an individual requires. To understand this, a comprehensive need evaluation is conducted to decide the kind of services needed to meet the unique requirements of the elderly person.

As you become aware of the medical requirements of the elderly person in your family, the next step is determining the costs of in-home care. It goes without saying that the in-home care offered by trained and skilled staff like registered therapists and nurses is very expensive.

TRADITIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS PAY FOR IN-HOME CARE

Private health insurance plans are crafted to pay for selective elderly care services even though coverage plans may vary from one plan to another. In most cases, private health insurance doesn’t pay for in-home care services.

Long-term care insurance refers to a class of coverage offered by private concerns for covering the costs of assisted living, home health care, and nursing home care. The plan you opt for determines the benefits and coverage of the plan. Thus, it’s crucial to understand the services covered by the policy while purchasing. You should bear in mind that it will include the costs of personal in-home care when the plan chosen allows non-medical services.

You should plan ahead when purchasing long-term care insurance. For healthy individuals aged between 50 and 60 years, the premium is the lowest. On the other hand, very old people afflicted with an irreversible disease or serious medical issues have scant chances of qualifying for coverage. As per the reports of the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance, over 53.6 percent of people aged more than 75 didn’t qualify for traditional long-term care policies in 2019.

Veterans Health Administration VHA has a standardized medical benefits package to offer different levels of home and community-based services in place of conventional home care for older people. VA pensions give funding to cover the costs of in-home care for older needy people and their spouses. Besides that, there are certain improved’ pensions that inflate the monetary benefits of veteran citizens along with their surviving spouses who might require a higher level of care.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Research claim that around 90 percent of individuals aged over 65 years prefer living at home where they want to age gracefully in their own comfort zone. But to make it possible, additional care becomes necessary at some point or the other. As a result, many people are turning to in-home care services. An increasing number of health disorders among aging people coupled with increasing prices of medical treatment makes it almost essential to look for suitable medical insurance that offers optimum coverage. It’s important to research prospective health policies to choose the best coverage options.

Nursing homes can be very expensive but if you are a senior who needs care or you have a parent, friend, or another family member who needs care that you cannot provide – it can truly be a very scary time if you don’t know where to turn! In the day and age that we live in though, there are many other care options that you can consider. So if you are thinking that you cant afford nursing home what are my options? Carry on reading to discover some of the different avenues that are out there.

Care options for seniors

An informal caregiver

There are many people out there who are perfectly capable of being caregivers but don’t work in a care home. If the elderly person does not require around-the-clock care but instead needs somebody to take of their daily needs, a caregiver could be the perfect option and it should be fairly easy to find one. Some of the things that an informal giver might be able to take care of include shopping, helping with washing and dressing, giving medication, and so on. An informal caregiver would likely be somebody like a friend of the family but there would not usually be many routines to it. You as the family member might be able to help with these things and can give instructions for care as you see fit.

Paid caregivers

While informal caregivers are ideal for helping with a few jobs here and there, paid caregivers are able to do more and the elderly person is still able to stay in the comfort of their own home, which is usually a big relief to them and their family. These types of caregivers will usually come to the client’s home a few times a week or in some cases, daily, and help with different tasks. This will usually involve washing, dressing, toilet assistance, cooking meals, and so on. These types of carers will likely charge up to $20 an hour but it is still going to be much cheaper than sending the senior citizen to a nursing home. Really consider the elderly person in need of care and if this could be an option that will work well for their needs.

Adult daycare

Adult daycare pretty much works in exactly the same way as daycare for children, and it is becoming a type of care that is becoming more popular for the elderly in America. Adults will be looked after in a safe environment and by trained professionals if you opt for adult daycare. This is ideal for adults who require so much care that it is not in their benefit to stay in their own homes to receive care. These types of settings have amazing feedback and are ideal for a number of different things including health monitoring, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. A range of different activities is also done in adult daycare including arts, crafts, and exercise classes. The cost of adult daycare will vary from state to state so be sure to have a look at what is available in your area. The great thing about this adult daycare is that it will give the family members a much-needed break but the elderly person can return back to their home afterward.

Adult foster café

Adult foster care is also sometimes referred to as adult family care or small group assisted living. This basically consists of a home-type facility with a small number of residents and paid staff members who look after them in the way that they need. These staff members will help with such things as daily care, dispensing of medication, transportation, and meal prep. These types of facilities are generally much smaller than nursing homes and can offer a more close-knit environment for residents and staff alike, although the type of care and support is similar. This is usually a much cheaper option than nursing homes but it still isn’t cheap and unfortunately, Medicare does not cover it.

Community services

Some churches, places of faith, and community buildings in a local area can help to provide care for the elderly and while this is done often, it is not usually an official thing. This is more like a group of people offering a helping hand rather than a full-blown care service, however. It could be something like volunteers taking elderly people to routine doctor’s appointments, helping with meal prep, or something of that nature. It really just depends on where you live and if there are these types of volunteer services in your area.

Seeking advice from a professional in elder care

If you have exhausted the methods that have been mentioned and you are still no closer to finding elder care for one reason or another, it might be time to seek help from a professional for further advice regarding your circumstances. Everybody is different and if you are not getting help for the situation that you need help for, there are other routes that you can go down. There have been many circumstances through the years where people have struggled to get the appropriate care for their parent or family member. Looking for an attorney in elder care is the best thing to do if you find yourself in this position.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that care not provided by the government or covered by insurance can have a hefty price tag and can sometimes be expensive. While a nursing home is something that some families go for, it simply isn’t a viable option for everybody and that is usually down to financial situations. The care industry is one with many different options but you might need to fight for the type of care that you are looking for. A bunch of different options has been mentioned if you are wondering cant afford nursing home what are my options? And hopefully some of these ideas have been helpful to you and going forward, you can find a solution that works best for you.

With the growing options for long-term care, you can indeed find the best long-term care option that suits you or your loved one’s needs and preferences. For instance, two options you might be considering include assisted living and nursing home care.

That said, if you’re here to know which of the two options suits your loved one’s situation more, here is a guide on assisted living vs. nursing home explained with estimated costs in the USA. But before knowing their key differences, here are the general definitions of the following facilities below.

What to Know About Assisted Living

Assisted living entails living in housing or a residential community where residents can receive different levels of assistance through various personal and medical care services. The setup in assisted living is similar to a regular home, giving residents more freedom and independence to get some tasks done on their own.

What to Know About Nursing Homes

On the other hand, nursing homes are long-term care facilities that focus on providing extensive medical care for residents with chronic illnesses or injuries. Generally, nursing homes are catered to individuals who require constant care 24/7.

Assisted Living vs. Nursing Home: Going into Detail with Their Differences

The definitions above provide a general understanding of the two care facilities mentioned above. Here are their differences in detail below:

Provided medical services

Assisted living:

The provided medical services in assisted living depend on the level of assistance a resident requires. For example, staff would monitor residents to ensure they’re taking their medication properly. Medication administration is also available as needed.

Furthermore, assisted living also offers transportation to residents with doctor appointments in case they need it. Special services are also offered to residents with diseases affecting their memory.

Nursing home:

As stated above, residents living in nursing homes have immediate, 24/7 access to medical services. Nursing staff will be stationed at nursing homes to ensure that individuals suffering from chronic diseases receive the medical attention they require.

Aside from medication monitoring and administration, rehabilitative services are also offered to residents. These rehabilitative services include occupational, physical, respiratory, and speech therapy.

Provided assistance for personal care/daily activities

Assisted living:

Once again, residents in assisted living have more independence to do things on their own. But of course, residents here can still receive some form of assistance to accomplish their daily tasks (meal preparation, bathing, laundry services, grooming, medication monitoring/administration) if needed. Housekeeping services are also provided to lessen the tasks done by residents, allowing them to partake in other fulfilling tasks in their community.

Nursing home:

Residents living in nursing homes require more assistance to meet their daily needs. Therefore, designated staff members will assist residents in bathing, dressing, or guiding them to the restroom. Staff members will also assist them in administering and monitoring their medication intake. Meals and laundry of the residents are also taken care of by other nursing home staff members.

Living setup

Assisted living:

Residents here either live in solo or shared apartments. These apartments are fully furnished and usually have common areas where residents can gather as they wish. Thanks to that, you can still choose when you’d like to socialize with others.

Moreover, since residents here are given independence to accomplish their tasks, apartments here also have designated kitchenettes where you can prepare your own meals. And other than common living areas, residential housing for assisted living facilities also provides extensive outdoor areas for its residents.

Nursing home:

People living in a nursing home have solo rooms or share a room with other residents. These shared rooms often have adjoining bathrooms. Similar to assisted living facilities, a nursing home also contains common areas where residents can gather to eat meals or engage in various activities together. However, unlike assisted living facilities, areas for outside grounds are limited in nursing homes.

Offered recreational activities

Assisted living:

Assisted living is greatly recommended for elderly people who wish to stay active. After all, many assisted living facilities offer a wide variety of activities that cater to all residents’ varying interests. For instance, some might offer Zumba, yoga, gardening, and even swimming classes.

Besides those, some assisted living facilities may also hold karaoke contests, pool parties, and other enjoyable activities that’ll keep everyone entertained during their stay. Card games, board games, and even bingo parties can be conducted depending on the facility.

Nursing home:

Although nursing homes also offer different recreational activities to keep residents active and healthy, the choices offered are not that extensive. Nursing homes tend to focus on activities related to art, music, reading, and the like. Sometimes, mentally-stimulating games are hosted as well.

If fitness activities are conducted in nursing homes, physical therapists will be present to supervise participants to prevent them from suffering any injuries.

Assisted living vs. Nursing Home: Costs

Now that you know the difference between the two long-term care options, it’s time to know their overall costs in the USA.

Well, it goes without saying that both care facilities are quite pricy. But then again, nursing home costs are a lot more expensive compared to assisted living facility costs. You can expect to shell out around $7400 for a nursing care facility in the US.

On the other hand, costs for assisted living facilities in the US can amount to $4000 or above. The cost can get higher if you decide to avail additional services for yourself or your loved one. For instance, supervised Alzheimer’s care can increase the costs up to $5000 or higher than that.

Factors to Consider When Picking the Best Care Facility

The ideal care facility depends on you or your loved one’s current mobility and health. That said, if you’re still undecided, here are some factors you can consider to pick the ideal care facility for you or your family member:

* The required amount of assistance you require to accomplish daily activities
* The amount of medical attention you need for your condition or illnesses

The ability to prepare or cook your own meals

Once you’ve decided, you can start exploring the available care facilities in your area to find the perfect match for your senior loved one. Lastly, don’t forget to look into a care facility’s available staff, atmosphere, community, security, customized care plans, and the like to ensure that your loved ones will move into a welcoming and safe home.

Conclusion

Overall, the best care facility greatly depends on your loved one’s needs and wants. But then again, no matter what option you choose, having your loved one move into a care facility isn’t going to be easy.

However, as long as you choose a care facility with a warm, welcoming community that provides high-quality care, you can ensure that your loved ones will move to a fantastic place where they can get the care they deserve and be happy.

One discouraging thing about nursing homes is that they tend to be pricey. This is reasonable because these places only want to offer the best for the elderly people. They don’t want them to feel deprived. They want them to just enjoy life. But to some, this can be a financial burden, especially to those who have just spent a lot of money on their parents’ or grandparents’ medical treatment. There are affordable home care options in the USA that you can avail of. These options will give their full effort to take care of elderly people but at a price that won’t hurt your wallet. A relatively inexpensive service fee doesn’t mean low-quality service. These facilities can give only the best to their clients. Here are some of the affordable home care options for seniors USA that you might want to consider visiting.

1. Hire a caregiver privately

You can save money if you hire a caregiver privately than hire them through a home care agency. You can save up to 30% of the typical fee of a caregiver coming from an agency. This makes sense because the agency does everything before hiring qualified caregivers. They do background checks, they process insurance, they even train them, and they also process the salary to make it easy for you to process all paper documents. If you hire a private caregiver you’ll be the one to do all these things. Just make sure to do a background check on the caregiver. This is quite challenging. You have to know everything about the caregiver so you’ll be assured that they are a legit caregiver and not someone faking an identity.

2. Informal Caregivers

If you only need simple assistance like someone to help the elderly to do dishes, do grocery shopping, and make sure that they eat on time and take their medicine as prescribed, then you can opt to hire informal caregivers. These people can be your friend, a relative, your neighbor, or whoever is willing to take care of them. You only hire a caregiver if they need professional care. If not and they can still perform daily activities with no to little difficulties, then it is more practical to hire an informal caregiver. They will be the ones to clean the house, cook food, do the grocery shopping, wash the dishes, do the laundry, take care of pets, and maintain the green lawn. Make sure to hire someone capable of multitasking and someone with a lot of patience. This way you get the worth of their salary. This is like babysitting but for elderly people.

3. Adult Foster Care

You know foster care, right? This is a temporary care service for those who cannot live in their house or on their own. The foster parent or foster home will take care of them temporarily while you are away or busy doing your stuff. This adult foster care involves a home-like facility that accommodates only a few residents. It has staff members that are paid. This is an affordable home care option because it’s less expensive but still capable of taking elderly people and giving them only the best treatment. The staff members can help the elderly with different daily tasks including meal preparation, transportation, and medication. You can find adult foster care that only requires a service fee of $1,500. Just make sure to do a background check on the facility first before you send them here. Do interviews of the owner, the members, and even the past members about their experiences like what they love and what they hate about the place. It would be great to list down all foster care options that you have and see which one is the best for them and the best given your budget.

4. Adult Day Care

The most difficult part about elderly care is that you have to go to work and no one will be left behind to take care of them. Of course, you have to continue doing your work so you can still support them financially, especially now that they are on maintenance and they require a lot of things to make their lives comfortable and convenient. Continuing your work doesn’t mean you have a lot of money to send them into a luxurious nursing home. If you have the time at night to take care of them, then you only need a place that can entertain them during the day. Adult Daycare is similar to a child daycare center. You leave them here while you are at work and then pick them up after your work. There are over 4,000 adult daycare centers in the US. For sure, you can find one that is the best for them and your tight budget. These facilities cannot only take care of them but can also give therapy and health monitoring services.

5. Community Groups

If you happen to be in a good neighborhood, chances are, there are communities there that are meant to help the elderly in your village. You can join them by paying for the membership. These communities have members or volunteers that will help the elderly in their daily activities. This includes taking home errands and providing companionship to elderly people. There are also faith-based communities that have members meant to assist elderly people in the religious community. They accompany them to medical appointments and help them with transportation. These people are not strangers to you. If they are in your community, then you already know their personality and you already know that they can be trusted. You are assured that they are in good hands. You can work peacefully knowing that they are being well taken care of. The membership fee to some communities only ranges from $200 to $600. They can also invite them to other social groups like a book club or a yoga class.

We all want the best home care option for our parents and grandparents. This doesn’t mean we get the most luxurious nursing home. Even they would not like to like in one. A huge space is where you’ll feel the loneliest. Only choose one that can provide assistance and companionship. There are tons of affordable home care options in the US that you can avail of. Those five options that we have just mentioned are just some of them. There are also affordable nursing homes, you just have to look hard to find them. Hope you find the best home care option for you and your budget!

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