Why Your Elderly Loved Ones Should Stay At Home

When a loved one begins to age, it can be tempting to shove the responsibility onto someone else. It can be tempting to put them in a nursing home. However, there are so many costs. Isn't it better for seniors to stay at home?

There are many reasons that a loved one would be put into a nursing home. They may not be able to go up and down the stairs easily anymore, or may not be able to stand for the time required to cook or clean. However, the needs of elderly people that would require modifications are not included in a nursing home's basic package.

Modifications can be made to the home they already live in, but many do not realize the added costs mentioned above. Staying at home in 2009 as an elderly person cost the family $554, versus $1065 out of pocket for a nursing home. Those out of pocket expenses jumped to $3500 in 2013. This means cooking, cleaning, and other problems that need to be addressed in their life might simply cost more in the nursing home. In addition, when an elderly person stays in their home, it is quite possible that they already own the home or are paying very low home mortgages. The options at a nursing home could instead become parts of the family's life as requirements, instead of options to be paid for.

The changes that could be made to the home include:

• Making it easier to get up and down the stairs.
• Keeping pots and pans within arms reach.
• Getting cleaning supplies with longer handles so they don't have to bend down. 

With some help from the neighbors or from family, the modifications could be easily finished within a few hours or within a weekend.

If that's not convincing enough, many elderly will already know people in the community that they currently live in. If they get into a situation where they need help, but family is unavailable, they will most likely have at least one person they know they can call in their neighborhood. If new people move in, there are more hands to help out when needed.

Even better, when your elderly loved one stays at home, they are able to enjoy much more independence. Quality of life in that age is as important as it is when they're younger, and putting them in a nursing home could only hamper the quality of their life.

Whether you need to find suitable care now, or will need it sometime in the future, Visiting Angels in Las Vegas might be one viable way to get the help you need in caring for your elderly loved one at home.