This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Elder Care Tips for Families

Confronting the need for nursing home care is an increasingly common challenge for families.  The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) recently released the results of a survey of 335 experts on matters related to aging.  The survey provides advice to families to help them keep aging parents in their own homes and prevent premature placement in a nursing home.

Here are the top 5 tips identified by experts in the NAPGCM survey:

1.)    Assess your parent's financial and care needs and available resources. Design a cost effective plan of care that supports wellness and encourages social interaction.  

Find out what's happening in Deerfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

2.)    Hire a professional to conduct an in-home assessment to look at the home environment, identify needs, obstacles and safety hazards and make recommendations for keeping the aging parent home safely.  

3.)    Identify and understand your parent's preferences for remaining at home, bringing care into the home, having live in help, and recognize the importance of health care directives as well as Medical and Financial Powers of Attorney.  

Find out what's happening in Deerfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

4.)    Identify the community support systems and programs that are available such as Senior Activity Centers and Adult Day Care programs.

5.)  If a nursing home or assisted living facility is required find out what services are included in the monthly charge and ala carte services and fees that might be needed in the future.

Evaluating the pros and cons of moving into a nursing home or other facility and the ancillary issues can be overwhelming for aging adults and their families.   But it is an issue that geriatric care managers confront with their clients on a regular basis. 

With some advance planning and a honest assessment of elder's needs and wants there are steps that can be taken so seniors safely remain in their home for a longer period of time.  There is ample evidence suggesting that living at home can lead to a longer and more fulfilling life.  

Nancy Carey, RN

The Geriatric Care Consultants

Lake Forest, IL

847 234-4917
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?