Home care and nursing homes are two common options for seniors seeking some form of regular caregiver assistance. In-home care allows seniors to stay in their own homes longer, while nursing homes provide continuous, community-based medical care on top of help with daily tasks. Understanding the different monthly costs, services, and benefits that each type of care offers can help families decide which option may best suit their loved one’s needs. In this guide, we’ll explore the differences between home care and nursing homes, including which option is cheaper and creative ways to pay for both.
Is Home Care Cheaper Than Nursing Home?
The median cost of home care services is approximately $30 per hour. At $30 per hour, a full-time, in-home caregiver will cost approximately $5,200 per month while the median monthly cost of a nursing home is $9,034.
However, it can be hard to provide an exact picture of senior care costs without considering a person’s unique needs. For example, if your parent requires medical support, in-home care costs are likely to rise significantly.
Review the following details to understand how the costs of home care and nursing homes can shift.
Home Care Costs
Home care expenses can vary dramatically based on how much support an aging loved one needs:
| Weekly Hours | 20 hours per week (part-time) |
40 hours per week (full-time) |
168 hours per week (24/7 care) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $2,600 | $5,200 | $21,840 |
A part-time caregiver may work well for families who can provide weekend and overnight care but need someone to care for their loved ones during workdays.
Continuous care may be needed if your loved one prefers to live at home but requires round-the-clock assistance and supervision. If this level of support is required, a residential community like a nursing home may be something to consider. Keep in mind that in-home care may be tax deductible in some circumstances.
Nursing Home Costs
Nursing home costs can be seen as “all-inclusive” prices because the monthly rate covers room and board, meals, and daily assistance. Prices may change based on the location of the nursing home or what kind of room a Senior selects, but the following examples will give you an idea of what monthly costs to anticipate.
| Nursing home | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Private room | $9,034 |
| Semi-private room | $7,908 |
Some nursing homes offer customizable add-ons to monthly rates like salon fees, activity packages, and more.
What is Home Care?
In-home care offers companionship, transportation, and assistance with activities of daily living for seniors living at home. One way to think of it is like in-home assisted living. The level of care a senior receives from an in-home care aide depends on the type of in-home care, in addition to their specific care needs. While standard home care will assist with daily activities and socialization, caregivers may not be licensed to provide nursing services.
Instead, in-home nursing care, also known as home health care, can provide seniors with nursing assistance. Home health care typically involves caring for wounds, administering IVs or injections, or other care that must be administered by a medical professional. In most cases, seniors don’t need this level of care unless they’re recovering from a recent surgery, or hospitalization, or live with a complex condition that requires regular medical assistance.
Keep in mind that you can also use a mix of home care and home health care to meet your loved one’s needs.
Benefits of Home Care
Home care allows seniors to remain in their homes while having regular company and professional care. Aside from enjoying the comfort of familiar surroundings, seniors can benefit from several other aspects of home care.
Companionship
A major benefit of home care is that it offers one-on-one companionship. Some home care aides will plan in-home activities — such as reading aloud, playing games, or simply sitting and talking — to keep seniors engaged. They can tailor meaningful care services to the unique preferences and needs of your loved one.
Help with Activities of Daily Living
In-home caregivers provide seniors with assistance for personal care tasks as well as helping out around the house. It’s typical for a caregiver to help with:
- Meal preparation
- Housekeeping
- Transportation
- Bathing
- Bathroom assistance
- Dressing
- Grooming
Customizable Care
You can decide what in-home caregivers focus on based on your loved one’s needs and lifestyle. It’s easy to customize care services. For example, if your loved one is social, regular transportation to events and activities can be organized as part of the caregiver’s routine. If someone prefers to stay at home and would rather have more help with cooking or cleaning, in-home caregivers can arrange that, as well.
Many home care agencies will note whether they have caregivers experienced in specialized forms of care. This can be helpful for seniors with a progressive illness — such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, or a disability — to receive the customized care they need.
The best care for your loved ones depends on your unique situation. For most people, direct-hire in-home care is preferable over putting your loved ones in a nursing home. With in-home care, your parent is the caregiver’s only patient, so you can be confident that your loved ones will get the help they need throughout the day. They’ll also enjoy being in the comfort of their own home, a place they spent time developing and building over their lifetime.
Older adults can relive the memories they’ve made over the years and feel more peace if they age in place. Aging at home also improves their physical and mental health. With the flexible pricing options available for in-home care, you can save money by only paying for what you need.
Why Hire a Home Caregiver?
With the cost of care rising for seniors, many older adults are now taking a closer look at how much it really costs to move out of their homes and into nursing facilities. While nursing homes are sometimes viewed as being a less expensive way to live out the golden years, many people are finding this isn’t always true.
Home care is an option that has many benefits for lowering the cost of your senior loved one’s care as he or she ages. As you begin to talk about your loved one’s preferences, take note of these five reasons why choosing to hire a home caregiver is more affordable compared to nursing homes.
1. It Keeps Housing Costs Low
Nursing homes aren’t cheap, and you should question the services offered by any that seem extremely affordable. Nursing homes today often have medical services that are costly to offer. For this reason, seniors are often required to pay for rooms or suites that may cost more than what they already pay for their homes. This is especially true for seniors who already own their homes or have low-rent apartments. Moving could mean having to stretch their housing budgets far beyond what they can afford.
2. Seniors Don’t Pay for Services They Don’t Need
Your loved one may not need some of the services included in a nursing home plan. However, your loved one will be paying for some services, such as having nurses on staff, even if he or she never uses them. Home care allows your family to pay for only the services your loved one needs. For example, you can arrange to have help with transportation if your loved one cannot drive yet still encourage him or her to cook meals independently if possible.
3. Seniors Can Avoid the Costs of Moving
Your loved one may be able to downsize, but you can still expect to cover the costs of having to move his or her belongings to a nursing home. You may also need to do things such as pay for changing utilities, renting a moving van, and managing the costs of trying to sell your loved one’s home or get out of a lease. With home care, your loved one gets to avoid paying for all these extras and skip the stress that comes with a major move.
4. Some Services Are Covered by Health Insurance
Your loved one’s health insurance may cover some or all the costs of home care, which allows your loved one to maximize his or her health benefits while also getting to stay in a home where he or she has built a comfortable life. Check your loved one’s policy to find out if services such as personal hygiene and post-hospitalization care are covered.
5. Aging Adults Can Increase the Level of Care as Needed
Most seniors start out needing only a small amount of care which makes paying for a nursing home seem unnecessary. Being able to pay for only the services your loved one needs allows you to keep costs low now so there’s more money available for care later in life
What is Nursing Home Care?
A nursing home usually helps those who require more than basic care. Your parents can get round-the-clock medical care at a facility fully staffed with skilled professionals. Caregivers at nursing homes deal with medical care, therapy, personal care needs, laundry, mobility issues, cleaning, and meals. These facilities offer semi-private or private rooms at an additional cost. They also tend to have fun activities to encourage interaction between residents. Some homes only allow older adults who meet specific age requirements.
Benefits of Nursing Homes
Though in-home care is better for many people, you might want to consider the advantages of a nursing home to make an informed decision about the care your parents need. Nursing homes provide opportunities for socialization, so your loved ones can either spend time meeting their neighbors or taking a break in their rooms. These facilities offer crafts, games, and fitness activities to help your parents stay active and get to know new people.
The constant access to medical care and other amenities is also attractive for the people who choose to put their parents in nursing homes. Medical professionals are on staff all the time to provide peace of mind that your aging parents will have their needs met. Those with Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease can have a safe place to wander as they are under supervision day and night.
1. Help with Daily Tasks
Many elderly ones find it difficult to do everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, eating, drinking, using the restroom, etc. They need extra care to get things done. A nursing home always has a member of staff available to help them with any of the daily tasks that they may have difficulty with.
2. Help with Housekeeping
Older people may not be able to keep up to tasks like keeping their environment or clothes clean. In a nursing home, there are people on duty to take care of cleaning and laundry. They make sure that the elderly’s environment is kept clean, their beddings are changed regularly, and their clothes are always properly washed and pressed.
3. Have Regular Meal Times
Some of the older ones can’t cook themselves, while some others can’t feed themselves. A few others even forget to eat or drink when due, especially if they are suffering from illnesses like dementia.
When your elderly ones are at a nursing home, you don’t have to worry about whether they’ve eaten or not. The nursing home ensures that they are given healthy and balanced meals at regular intervals. Some nursing homes even have a nutritionist and/or dietician that can help with specialized diets.
4. Have Health Care Services
Good nursing homes offer standard health care to their residents. They always have trained nursing staff who are ready to deal with any medical problems that may arise. The services they offer are:
• wound dressing,
• administering medication,
• monitoring their general health status,
• pain control,
• emergency services, etc.
5. Offer Specialized Healthcare Services
Some seniors have medical conditions like Alzheimer’s or Dementia, that require special attention. Seniors’ nursing home, therefore, requires staff who are trained to attend to needs that are specific to them.
6. Encourage Social Interaction
Being in a social environment is a very important benefit of a nursing home. Human beings are social beings, and that is why there is always a longing to be with people and interact with them.
Old age comes with loneliness, which can lead to depression. Socializing is, therefore, an important reason why old people should live in a nursing home where they can be with their peers and interact with them. They can also engage in fun-filled activities like outings and games, which can keep them active and mentally stimulated.
7. Safe and Secure
The safety of elderly ones cannot be guaranteed, especially when they are alone. An elderly one with dementia can easily forget to close the windows or lock the doors, which makes them vulnerable to danger. However, living in a nursing home can guarantee their safety because the staff is responsible for making sure that the residents are safe.
8. Give Your Loved One Access to Outside Resources
The world is advancing in technology and has left some of our old folks behind. When they are in a nursing home, the staff on duty can help them with anything that has to do with using technology. They can get assistance from anyone on hand, be it making a phone call or sending an email, which helps them stay connected to family and friends.
9. Relieve the Strain on Family Members
Having a family member that is elderly can put a strain on the other family members. While trying to create time to take care of their elderly ones, your work and family suffer, and vice versa. It is therefore advisable that you take them to a good nursing home where they’ll be well-catered for, while you have more time for yourself, the rest of the family, and your work.
Promedcare
Being a family-owned business, the owners of Promedcare are engaged in the day-to-day operations and get to know both clients and caregivers on a first-name basis. Having both owners and staff present vs. working remotely with our clients creates a feel of FAMILY and allows Promedcare to create an environment of care that reduces turnover and increases dedication to the brand. We provide 24/7 service with the ability to interact with Senior Management and the owners as needed.
Promedcare has evolved into a caring business that focuses on individuals’ specific needs and preferences. This type of care fosters independence, happiness, and a sense of familiarity by acknowledging older individuals’ desire to age in the comfort of their own homes.
For some, it’s to provide extensive ongoing care for an aging senior. For others, we offer a much-needed break or, respite care – such as a night out with a spouse, vacation, or simply a few hours of quiet time at home – for family members who provide regular care. We offer a wide range of care services customized for each individual client.
Promedcare services include Personal Care Services, Companion Care Services, Dementia / Alzheimer’s Care Services, and Respiratory Solutions.
Contact us today to see how Prodmedcare can help you!