Elder Care Guidance 

Current Statistics:

According to the Families USA Senior Watch, nineteen to one, older
Americans in need of long term care, would prefer to be cared for at home.  
These older adults who are over 65 years of age have a 19% increase of
developing some form of a physical impairment.  Those who are 85 years of age and older approximately 55% of these folks presently require assistance with their (ADLs) activities of daily living.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, In 2003 the cost of Nursing Home Care averaged $181.00 per day.

Presently the United States has more than 34,000,000 seniors.

According to the National Association of Social Workers News by the year
2030 there will be more than 70 million adults aged 65 and older. 

According to Comfort Keepers Franchise Information by next year
approximately 37 % of all U.S. workers will be faced with caring for an older adult.

Aging in place:
Aging in place allows the older adult to remain in their present living
environment with the additional assistance of family/friends or hired help. 
The older adult is then allowed to live without the trauma of moving into a new environment.

Allowing an older adult to remain safely in their home, preserves dignity,
independence, and a sense of control over their life. 

“There are ways to plan and insure yourself so that 100 percent of the care
you need-including caregivers, therapists, home improvements and
equipment purchases-will be paid for.”  (Karen Shoff, MSW,MSG,LUTCF)

The first step is to plan ahead financially.  There are many choices as to how to pay for the care. 

One way is to purchase a long term care insurance policy that has a choice
for home care services. 

Another way to pay for care, is to seek information on a reverse mortgage on the elders home.

Additional options to pay for care include: personal savings, annuities,
retirement plans, life insurance and equity loans.

The second step is to familiarize yourself with the community resources and the location of the elder. 

Many community services are free or low cost and accessible in populated
areas. 

The rural areas can be more difficult to locate resources that will service that area on an ongoing basis.

Community services include: meals on wheels, case management, senior
centers, adult day care centers, agency home care, home modification
programs, lifeline services, and home sharing.
 
The third step is to assess the home environment and make modifications to create a safe living environment for the elder. 

This can include installing grab bars in the bathroom, removing all loose
rugs, making sure all smoke detectors work, remove fire hazards such as
clutter in the garage, install a fire extinguisher in the home, make sure all
outlets are working properly and that there are no broken or exposed wires. 

Make sure this is proper lighting in the hallways, bathrooms.  If there are
stairs assess the elders ability to use them.