Home care V.S Care home
When considering care there are a few different avenues that you can go down to best suit you. The two that may first jump to mind are the classic two: home care or residential/care home. Both have their advantages and are extremely useful services, but ultimately the choice best suited to you will differ in each circumstance. So how do you decide which is best suited to you personally? Well, the first step is to understand fully what each option is and how they may benefit the user.
What is a Residential / Care home?
Residential care is where someone is provided accommodation and looked after or supported 24/7 by care personnel. This can be great for someone who may struggle to live independently but are otherwise healthy and not in need of nursing care. The social aspect can be a positive as well for care home residents, as they get to mingle with others around them within the accommodation enhancing their quality of life and decreasing any feeling of loneliness or isolation that they may otherwise experience. The downside to a residential home is the fact that the person will be removed from what they know. Their home, memories and belongings are all left behind in order to relocate them to a residence and that is something that can be quite a difficult transition for people.
What is the difference between a residential home and a nursing home?
The main difference is the level of care that is being provided. A nursing home is a place where fully trained nurses are at hand on staff 24/7 to take care of the residents and provide them with medical and nursing care. This generally means that nursing homes are typically more expensive, as residential homes tend to only provide personal care and accommodation.
What is Home Care?
Home care is more of an umbrella term. It includes any kind of health care or supportive care given within the individual’s home. Whether that be on a live-in or visiting basis. Also known as ‘domiciliary care’, homecare includes a lot of personal care that the individual may not be able to complete themselves, as well as being able to administer medication to the client. Homecare can be much more tailored to suit the needs of each individual, whether more extensive care visits are required, or whether it is mainly just social visits to reduce feelings of loneliness or isolation. The bonus to home care is that the client gets to keep the comfort and security of being at home whilst also being helped with the tasks they may no longer be able to do for themselves. They get to remain surrounded by their home and all of their belongings whilst maintaining the level of independence that in itself brings. Homecare visits can be scheduled as needed, whether that be one visit a day or multiple visits throughout the day.
So as you see, both home care and residential care have their benefits and drawbacks. The decision is definitely down to what level of care each individual both needs and desires. The best way to determine what kind of needs require what kind of service is to request a needs assessment from your local council and gain a recommendation as to whether you require nursing care or not. If not, and it is generally more for everyday tasks and personal care, then that decision between homecare and residential care is very much situational. The best way is to speak to providers of both care types, see what they recommend and go from there and go from there.
