This is a question that no one ever really wants to have to think about, but unfortunately, almost everyone will be put in a position where they have to choose at least some facet of continuing care for themselves or one of their loved ones.
People sometimes confuse continuing care with sticking one of their loved ones away in some cold, dank, understaffed institutional nursing home, but the types of continuing care available today are much better and much more diverse than they used to be.
Many nursing homes and assisted and independent living communities offer nicer living conditions than some new residents are used to and there are continuing care options that will take place right in the person's current residence.
If you or someone you love is in need of assisted care - then there is surely a comfortable option available for your situation.
Current Residence Care Elderly persons who would most likely have a difficult time adjusting to a new environment may benefit most from remaining in their own home and receiving regular visits from a continuing care assistant.
A predetermined number of visits per week from a qualified continuing care assistant can help with a variety of things that family members are simply incapable of handling, and the time that the aide is in the residence with the patient will allow the family members who are providing the rest of the care to get out of the home and take care of necessary things like shopping and errands without the worry of leaving the patient unattended.
This type of situation is good for someone who is in need of some minor assistance and some limited medical treatment, but would feel comfortable receiving it without having to uproot or disturb their current living situation.
Independent Living and Assisted Care Communities These communities are the next best thing to having the care provided in your own home; in fact the difference between the type of lifestyle in an independent living community and entirely living on ones own is negligible.
These types of communities can be housing developments or apartment complexes, and often the independent living and assisted care buildings are located within close proximity on the same grounds.
This allows the easy transfer of residents from one area to another should their level of care change while they are residing there.
These residences can be single family homes or one, two or three bedroom apartments.
There are truly accommodations for every type of situation.
These communities offer very flexible levels of care, so if and when a resident needs change for the better or worse, there can be a seamless transition into the type of care that they are currently in need of.
Full Care Communities/Nursing Homes The nursing home atmosphere of care is often like that of a hospital or rehab center, with private or semi-private rooms with a communal hallway linking them to each other and areas where staff members are stationed.
Many nursing homes have a good bit of medical equipment for treatment on hand as well as full time registered nurses and some doctors on staff.
Though major medical procedures often aren't conducted on site, some treatments that it would be difficult to provide in an outside assisted living community can be taken care of right on nursing home grounds.
Staff members are on site twenty-four hours a day seven days a week to care for the many residents who require almost constant care and assistance with even some of life's most basic tasks.
Even though some nursing homes offer top notch staffs and wonderful accommodations, nursing homes are often reserved for a last resort when there are no other viable options for the level of care that someone will need to continue on.
The type of assisted living environment that is right for someone is entirely dependent on what type of care that they need as well as what they are physically and mentally prepared to deal with.
Regardless of situation or level of care needed though, there is a comfortable solution for every situation.