It has come time to hire assistance for my aging mother. She can no longer take care of herself all the time and neither of us want me to have put my life aside to care for her around the clock. After looking at all the options, we have decided that hiring a live-in care provider is the best for our situation.
My mom and I were both dreading the idea of moving her out of her home of two decades. After 20 years, she was not only very comfortable in and attached to her house, she also had lots of stuff in all the closets and empty rooms. As we slowly go through all those gathered memento, we are both very glad she isn’t going to end up in a nursing home.
Cost was definitely a concern when we were looking for options. At first, we didn’t even consider live-in care because we assumed it would be much more expensive. However, it is just the opposite. Having a home health care provider drastically reduces the price of care. Rather than paying thousands of dollars to a facility each month, we pay the live-in care company by the hour.
The things my mom needs help with are as simple as doing laundry, making healthy meals, cleaning the house and taking her pills. She can’t drive anymore so she also needs someone to drive her places. With a personal care aid, she can have all that without sacrificing her freedom.
Even though it costs less, having a live-in care provider means my mom will have someone she knows helping her. Rather than a staff of nurses who come and go, one person will be there for her at all times. The provider’s attention will be undivided and focused on my mom’s well being and happiness.
The weekly activities that I used to take my mom to once she could no longer drive herself were put in jeopardy when we started talking about moving her to a home. But with live-in care, she gets to continue all that stuff while having someone next to her to help out.
My mom has three cats that made thinking about her future even harder. I couldn’t care for them and we weren’t willing to give them to the local humane society. Now, she gets to keep her cats and her home. It’s perfect.
We considered cost, pets, household chores, freedom and more when deciding what kind of care to find for my mom. In the end, we worked together to find that live-in care was both affordable and ideal. I am no longer overwhelmed by the responsibility of taking care of an aging relative and she is free to continue her life as usual.
I enjoy writing about lots of health-related topics. To learn more, here’s a great starting point: brightstarcare.com/lower-bucks-county.
