
Six things you should know before choosing full-time elderly care [Infographic]

For many of us, caring is simply part of family life. We may have grown up with a parent, sibling or grandparent who needed care, or maybe as a parent we can see how caring is shaping our family life. By helping an elderly loved one live independently you’re allowing them to live confidently, in the home they love as well as letting them retain their current lifestyle and access to absolutely all of their belongs and treasured memories. Whether that’s by making changes to their lifestyle, home or outside support, you can’t put a price on the freedom to live on your own terms.
Knowing how to decide on care isn’t easy, especially when it’s needed urgently or when a loved one is in a vulnerable condition. Receiving care at home honours dignity and independence. It offers the least restrictive environment for people as they age, with none of the rules associated with institutionalised care.
Home care is one-to-one and personalised as no one person is the same. It can truly enrich quality of life.
Shockingly, “low expectations and pressure to make decisions quickly means people often accept the first home that is ‘good enough’.” We recommend advance care planning to avoid the ‘good enough’ decision and achieve the ‘perfect for me’ scenario. Knowing that you require care or your loved one requires care can be very difficult, but knowing there is an option for care that doesn’t involve the upheaval and distress associated moving to a care home is a blessing for many families. Live-in care can be a better option for later life care and it is important to know that it is a viable and affordable option.