Why We Chose Live-In Care

| Saturday, July 21, 2012
By Jack Restinson


A few months ago, my mom and I finally sat down to talk about what to do as far as her getting older. I had started taking time off work to care for her as her mobility decreased and my family life was suffering, too. We both wanted to make sure she had the best quality of life possible in her old age, but we wanted to make sure I wasn't overwhelmed, too. We looked at all the options possible and finally realized that live-in care was the perfect solution.

My mom and I were both dreading the idea of moving her out of her home of two decades. After 20 years, she was not only very comfortable in and attached to her house, she also had lots of stuff in all the closets and empty rooms. As we slowly go through all those gathered memento, we are both very glad she isn't going to end up in a nursing home.

Cost was definitely a concern when we were looking for options. At first, we didn't even consider live-in care because we assumed it would be much more expensive. However, it is just the opposite. Having a home health care provider drastically reduces the price of care. Rather than paying thousands of dollars to a facility each month, we pay the live-in care company by the hour.

My mom has lots of energy still and this means she will get to keep her independence. She will get around the house help as needed without having to give up any of her activities.

I also really like the idea of my mom forming a relationship with her nurse. Rather than having a rotating staff of people like at a home, one or two people will provide all of my mom's care. It's much more personal.

Keeping her independence has always been key to my mom. That's part of the reason she didn't like to see me spending so much time away from my life taking care of her. Now, she can keep up her regular activities without my help. She can choose when to bathe, eat, go out and more.

The three cats my mom has were another problem for us. I can't take them because my husband is allergic, but you can't just give a beloved pet to the humane society! With live-in care, my mom can keep her feline friends without a problem.

All these reasons have led us to decide that hiring a live-in care provider really is the best option. It lets my mom continue her regular life as much as possible as she ages. As her only child living nearby, hiring a live-in care provider also means I won't be harnessed with her total care.




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