Comparing Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

When adult children face the reality that their elderly parent may need to live somewhere other than their own home, this decision can be stressful because you have to think about their needs and wants, what kind of care they will be getting and if they be able to socialize with people and still have a good quality life. Elderly people do have options when it comes to where they will live and two of the most common options are nursing homes or assisted living. There are many things to think about when deciding which one is the better choice. Once you have made your choice and you visit if you see signs that your elderly parent is being abused or has been neglected, you need to speak to a nursing home abuse member of our legal team at the Higgins Firm. We will listen to your claim and make sure you get the damages you may be eligible for.

The first step you should take when trying to decide if a nursing home or assisted living facility would be better is to decide what kind of care requirements your parent or relative needs. These can include things such as:

• needing help bathing or getting dressed
• needing to use a wheelchair or walker
• needing help taking prescriptions
• whether or not they are at risk of falling
• Do they need constant or limited supervision?
• Do they have severe medical problems?
• Can they still get around fairly easily?
• Do they like to social and be around others?
• Are they still able to do most of their daily activities?

Depending on your answers to these questions you may be able to decide if a nursing home or assisted living facility is a better choice.

Once you have determined what type of care requirements your elderly parent or relative has, you need to figure out what type of care nursing homes and assisted living facilities give their residents.

Nursing homes are for people with mental difficulties, physical disabilities or serious and sometimes life-threatening medical conditions. They give medical care much like that of a hospital and provide meals and some group activities. They can give twenty-four hour care and medical support to residents.

Assisted living facilities are not medical facilities though they do give some medical care in emergencies. Assisted living facilities goals are to give residents limited help with daily needs. Their residents are usually people that can live independently most of the time but need some help. They give residents many opportunities to socialize so that they do not feel alone.

The last thing you need to think about is how much money will each option require. Nursing homes are more costly than assisted living but some or all of the care may be paid for by Medicare, Medicaid or other government programs. Assisted living facilities require about a few thousand dollars less each month but sometimes these facilities do not qualify for government funding and assistance so more money may come out of your pocket to pay for the facility.

These things should be thought about when making a choice about where your elderly parent or relative will live but the main thing is still what kind of care they need not only for now but also as they continue to age. It is important to think about their needs in the long term when making this choice. If you have picked out a nursing home or assisted living facility and place your parent or relative there but then feel that the facility is abusing or neglecting them, you should contact one of our knowledgeable and skilled nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers with the Higgins Firm. We understand how difficult this must be for you and we will help you in anyway we can. We will collect information and see to it that you receive any damages you may be entitled to for the abuse or neglect your relative has been through.

Please get in touch with us today online or by phone at 800.705.2121 to talk about the legal action you may be able to pursue.