When you begin to dive into the difficult decision of deciding what is the best care for a loved one, you will find that there are numerous options of care. It can be overwhelming to go through each type of care to determine which one is right for you. One of the big questions we hear at Senior Living Specialists is, “what is the difference between assisted living facilities and nursing homes?”.
Assisted Living
Assisted living communities offer great services for a loved one that is no longer able to live by themselves alone but still want to be socially active. This kind of care option typically provides a lot of social interaction and activities planned for everybody living within the community.
Those social activities can range from a simple game night to outings that the assisted living facility handles with transportation. This can often be a great choice for those that might have a hard time transitioning from being on their own to being cared for.
Medication management, bathing, and even haircuts/styling might be handled by the assisted living facility as well. Many of them will work with you to ensure that the correct plan is taken for your loved one.
Nursing Homes
These are now often called skilled nursing facilities or even convalescent homes. This type of care is typically reserved for loved ones that will need 24/7 monitoring and assistance. If your loved one needs regular medical care but doesn’t meet the criteria to be hospitalized, this is often the type of facility they need.
Many of the skilled nursing facilities that you go to visit during your care selection process may have certain requirements. Those requirements may vary but could include a physician’s prescription/recommendation, a full physical exam, and a full interview to ensure that the facility is correct for your loved one.
Selecting the right type of care can be a difficult process. You can rely on Senior Living Specialists to help guide you during this process to find the right type of care in Dallas for your loved one.
