What Are the Advantages to Assisted Living Centers vs In Home Care?

While in home care might provide seniors with a greater sense of individuality and the ability to make all of their choices on their own – which is understandably a huge plus for some individuals – it can also limit their movement, slow their progress with personal projects and make life a lot harder.

Assisted living has emerged as an alternative senior care plan for elders who require a certain level of independence beyond what a regular nursing home can offer, but who also want to avoid the burdens of home ownership and the difficulties associated with getting by each day in the old family home.

Unlike in home care, assisted living requires elders to physically move to a special center similar to a home. However, unlike most nursing homes, assisted living centers resemble something like a modern apartment building or townhouse where elders get their own personal quarters and are only provided with the level of support and care that they need, with the option of careful, 24/7 supervision focused on maintaining independence and a good dose of fun throughout the day.

assisted living Denver

Probably the best advantage of an assisted living plan is that you no longer have to be on your own. Of course, for some elders, being on their own is a plus, but in many cases these days, social isolation due to their children and grandchildren being too busy to visit can lead to depression, anxiety and many other issues that are accelerated by decreasing mental health. Through assisted living, seniors are placed in the same community with many other individuals that they can form close friendships and bonds with, so there is no need to live out the remainder of their lives in isolation.

Of course, while you still have the option to perform your own chores and cook for yourself, assisted living centers can help you avoid the difficulty of many of those activities, so you can focus more on your personal projects. For many of our elders who live on their own, the job of digging their cars out of the snow during winter or cleaning the entire house every spring can become extremely tedious and difficult. In an assisted living Denver facility, you no longer have to worry about those issues, as they are being taken care of by the local staff, so you can focus on your own personal activities and use your precious free time for better things.

Even cooking can be avoided, as many assisted living plans include paying for daily meals prepared by a skilled chef. That tends to free up more time for seniors who want to read, write, paint, work on crafts or even run their own online businesses.

There is a lot of excellent support these days for senior citizens in the US, and it is essential that people be more informed about options such as the ability to join an assisted living center. While the cost might be higher when compared with in home care, you’ll find that none of the benefits listed above are available for most seniors who choose in home care. In those terms, assisted living is actually one of the best choices you can make for an aging parent.