To Nurse or To Care?

“To Nurse or To Care”

As a child, I can remember being excited about my birthday every year. I’m sure all of us as children felt this way. Now year after year we have to face the numbers of our age rise. Not only are we aging, but our parents and grandparents are too. The balance of our personal lives and caring for our elderly parents and grandparents can become overwhelming, especially when they require special care. Unfortunately, because of this requirement, we are left with deciding between senior care living or nursing home. Private home care services and nursing homes are similar but have a few important differences. In this article, I’m going to give three detailed reasons why senior care living should be chosen over nursing homes. First, let us compare the definitions of the words care and nurse. A nurse is a person trained to look after the sick or infirm. The definition of care is the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something. So, would you rather have someone to nurse or to care for your loved one, doing what is necessary for the health, welfare, and protection of them?

“Living or Loving”

Second, when in-between senior care living and nursing homes, you are concerned about medical care and the conditions of living. Most nursing homes are large facilities that accommodate hundreds at a time. Meaning there’s a possibility of overworked staff, resulting in improper care of your loved ones. Individuals live in private or share a small room with two beds a few feet away from each other with limited or no outside area. Nursing homes have limited recreational activities and medical treatments. Also, nursing homes usually do not have special care for individuals with Alzheimer’s. Compared with senior care living, who usually accommodate an average of 50 individuals. Meaning happier staff, resulting in the proper care of your loved ones. Senior living facilities are more like a community of seniors rather than a hospital for seniors. Individuals living space are usually cozy studio apartment styled rooms, private or shared. These rooms have private bathrooms, a kitchen, and an outside area. Senior living has extensive recreational and medical treatments. Plus, they have specialized areas for individuals with Alzheimer’s. In other words, senior care living feels more like home.

“Affordable or Sell an Arm”

Lastly, when considering senior care or nursing homes, you question, “how much does it cost?” You would think that since senior care living has better quality than nursing homes, it would cost more. But that’s not the case here. Nursing homes cost approximately $7,441 a month. That’s about 200 to 400 dollars a day, according to your state. That’s a lot compared to the cost of senior care living, that’s $4,000 a month or $5,200 a month for special Alzheimer’s care that nursing homes usually do not offer. Therefore, when considering the next step for your loved ones, there are more than enough reasons to choose senior care living over nursing homes. Choose caring over nursing.

If you want to see a country that does it right? Check out this video about nursing homes in Japan – they really appreciate their seniors and know how to take care of them: