When you have a parent who is elderly and who begins to require a great deal of daily assistance, you may wonder what you can do to provide them with the care and support that they need. While you may want to be the person who provides them with all of the assistance that they need, it may not be in your best interest or your parent's best interest to become their full-time caregiver. However, you also may not know what living situation would be the best for your elderly parent. Get to know some of the options that are available so that you and your parent can find the best living situation for them.

Home Care Services In Their Own Home

One of the care options that you can choose for your elderly parent is to hire a home care service to provide assistance and services to come into your parent's home rather than having your parent move to another community. Home care services come in both medical and non-medical varieties.

Non-medical home care services can provide your parent with companionship, assistance with daily living tasks like bathing and grooming, housekeeping, and medication assistance and reminders. On the other hand, medical care services can do this as well as administer medication, change dressings for wounds, and provide other health care services as the providers are CNAs and nurses.

Even with 24-hour care from home service providers, there is a higher risk of your parent suffering an injury when they remain in their own home. They can also feel isolated or lonely because they are not a part of a community of peers and may only be in contact with their caregivers.

Assisted Living Facility

In contrast to home care services, you and your elderly parent may want to consider an assisted living facility for your parent. Assisted living facilities are senior living communities that allow your parent to maintain much of their independence while also receiving needed care and assistance.

Many assisted living facilities offer apartment-style living to residents where they have their own bedroom, living space, and bathroom. They may even also have their own kitchen, though this is not always the case. However, as your parent begins to need more assistance with their mobility, bathing, grooming, and other daily living tasks, they can receive them.

Assisted living facilities also offer residents a sense of community. There are common areas that all residents share, organized group activities on-site and off-site, community dining areas, and many other services like libraries, barber and beauty shops, and even church services. This sense of community can vastly improve your parent's quality of life and will give them a combination of care and community that cannot be beaten.

Now that you know a few of the options for your elderly parent's living situation, you can help them choose the option that suits their care needs.