Assisted Living? A Care Home? Home health aides? Independent Living?
The choices and decisions can seem confusing when all we want is to find the best care for ourselves or our loved ones.
How can we sort through all these options and make smart decisions—without feeling completely overwhelmed?
Getting Started
A great place to begin is with an understanding of two essential points: what kind of care is needed and where this care is available. A “needs assessment” can help provide specifics on care requirements. With this knowledge, you can make informed decisions about care options.
What is a Needs Assessment?
According to the article The Geriatric Assessment in the Journal of American Family Physicians, a needs assessment is a physician-directed evaluation of an older adult’s abilities. Multiple areas are considered, such as functional ability, physical health, cognition and mental health, and home environment. Since family doctors provide about half the care needed by older adults, your or your parent’s primary care physician is a good source of information.
Using Assessment Tools
A family doctor may also use assessment tools, such as the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. This measure was developed by Dr. Katz, a geriatric specialist who originated the term ADLs, or “activities of daily living.”
Another assessment tool designed to determine the everyday functional capabilities of an older adult is the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale. This easy-to-use questionnaire lists nine questions, such as the following:
- Can you prepare your meals?
- Can you get to places that are out of walking distance?
- Can you go shopping for groceries?
- Can you do your laundry?
Using objective assessment tools such as these can help your or your parent’s doctor make care recommendations that are based on data.
Matching Appropriate Care to Care Needs
A thorough and objective understanding of care needs will help guide choices—as will consideration of the benefits—and limitations—of different kinds of care.
Maximizing independence while providing for care needs is optimal—and finding the right balance is key.
If Mom is having ongoing problems with balance, for example, assisted rather than independent living might be the better choice for her safety and well-being.
Considering All Aspects of Care
Addressing all aspects of care is also important in finding a good fit. Home health aides might seem like a good option because they enable you or your parents to stay in an existing home. But what about socialization, cognitive engagement, appropriate physical activity, and care during evenings, weekends, and holidays?
Older adults, particularly those with physical limitations, are at risk for social isolation, depression, and cognitive and physical decline when they spend too much time alone.
For this reason, home and social environment are among the considerations for family physicians when assessing care needs.
A care home, or smaller residential living arrangement, may seem like a better alternative than home health aides for someone in need of assisted living care. More aspects of care, such as socialization and greater availability of staff, would be addressed. And some like the “family” feel of a small group home. But what if care needs to change? Many group homes lack the comprehensive facilities and specialized staff needed to provide memory, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and other care services.
Finding Comprehensive Care Options
Because they offer a continuum of care levels—and care needs can change— Life Plan Communities are considered optimal by many caregivers. Independent Living offers active older adults the opportunity to enjoy maintenance-free, streamlined living with ample opportunities for social, physical, and cognitive engagement.
If additional care is needed following surgery or an illness, rehabilitation care can be provided, usually on the same community campus. If needs change, an Assisted Living apartment home on campus enables a resident to stay in the same community where he or she has friends and knows the staff and medical team.
Begin with Communication
Having frank, open discussions with physicians, caregivers, and family members about present and future care needs and the options for providing that care is a great way to begin the process of finding the best possible care for yourself or your parents.