Even as our loved ones grow older, we want to give them the utmost care and prevent falls and injuries that may result from their vulnerability at old age.
But when this time comes, most of us are torn between taking them to a care home or seeking in-home help.
Perhaps answering these questions will help you make the right decision:
- What does home mean to your senior loved ones? Is it convenience, familiarity, or security?
- Do they have underlying age-related conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s?
- Which tasks are challenging to do? Can they climb the stairs? Can they drive on their own?
- How much are you willing to spend on senior care?
While care homes ruled the day in the past, more people are now opting for home care, a type of care that lets seniors lead independent lives in familiar surroundings close to their loved ones.
Additionally, caring for your older seniors from home is way cheaper than in a care home, as we shall see in detail below.
Care Home Costs
A care home is a living institution that seniors move into where trained staff meet their personal care needs, including dressing, taking medication, eating, and washing.
While all care homes provide accommodation and personal care, some offer extra specialised services for seniors with different needs, as you’ll see in the table below.
| Type Of Care Home | What It Offers |
|---|---|
| Nursing Home | 24-hour assistance from registered nurses and personal care by experienced care assistants |
| Dementia Care Home | 24-hour care for dementia patients and social activities with other residents |
| Dual-Registered Care Home | Acts as a nursing home and a residential care home, attending to anyone who needs personal care or nursing care |
The cost of care homes in the UK depends on:
- The type of care you need
- The care home provider
- Your savings and property, as well as your location within the country
According to Care Home, the average monthly senior care cost for residential home care is £2,816, and £3,552 for a nursing home across the UK, bringing the annual average cost to £33,792 and £42,624, respectively. Care homes with specialised care will often charge a higher fee.
In-Home Help Costs
In-home help enables your senior loved ones to access the care they need conveniently from their own home.
The table below discusses the three primary categories of in-home care.
| Type Of In-Home Care | What It Offers |
|---|---|
| Non-Medical In-Home Care | A caregiver helps seniors with daily activities such as laundry, cooking, and personal hygiene |
| Home Health Care | A professional caregiver provides medical assistance to seniors, including checking pulse, temperature, and helping out with the use of medical equipment like ventilators |
| Skilled Nursing In-Home Care | A trained nurse, doctor, or therapist offers medical care such as caring for wounds and administering medications |
For in-home help, expect to pay substantially less. While the costs vary across the country, the average hourly rate ranges from £15 to £20.
If, for instance, you need home care for three hours a day at an hourly rate of £17, you’ll pay:
- £357 per week
- £1,428 per month
- £17,136 per year
This is close to half of what you’d pay in a care home, saving you a lot of money for other necessities.
While most care homes offer premium services to seniors, their “one-size-fits-all” model will result in paying for amenities your loved ones may not need. But in-home care allows you to pay for only the required services on the days and times they’re most needed.
In-home care also offers other benefits that a care home lacks, as seen in the table below:
| In-Home Care | Care Home |
|---|---|
| You’re sure your senior loved one is getting the one-on-one attention they need | Seniors outnumber caregivers, so they’re attended to in turns |
| Home is where our older loved ones feel comfortable and free as they age | Relocating and adjusting to new environments is super stressful, especially in old age |
| Research shows that seniors receiving home care live longer than those in care homes | Living in a care home away from loved ones often negatively impacts seniors’ physical and mental health |
| The elderly loved one gets to enjoy their freedom and independence; they can go out and visit friends and family whenever they want | They’re more restricted to the care home setting and can’t leave at their will |
Ensuring your loved one receives care from home also relieves you of anxiety, knowing that they’re in the best hands and are receiving the utmost care.
3 In-Home Care Ideas to Save Money
Sometimes, caring for the elderly places a huge financial burden on our families.
But it doesn’t have to be so. At Tranquil, we believe that technology is the key to a better lifestyle for all our seniors, a key that doesn’t cost a pretty penny.
Technology assistive devices like location trackers and fall detectors will eliminate the need for 24-hour in-home care, saving you lots of money in the long term.
Below are some ideas that will reduce the caregiving workload and save on extra costs.
1. Make Safety Modifications at Home
The fear of falling, particularly for those who’ve fallen before, may make them scared to walk around the house, shower, or carry out daily tasks independently.
Safety modifications will help keep them safe and encourage them to do chores without assistance. These modifications include:
- Light up the living space
- Purchasing modified kitchen utensils
- Removing hazards like coffee tables from high-traffic areas
- Removing loose rugs from the house
- Cleaning spilt foods, grease, or liquid immediately
Investing in an assistive device like Aura will also alert you whenever your loved one falls or needs help, letting you get to them before an incident becomes serious.
Aura is worn day to day and will detect a hard fall and send an alert to the emergency contacts you’ve set up, instantly letting you know something’s wrong.
“Delighted with the alarm. It gives me reassurance if I am out as my husband is prone to falls. Installation is simple and with clear instructions.”
Kathleen R, Verified Buyer
Aura also lets your loved one send you an alert directly whenever they need help, at the press of a button.
2. Encourage Movement
After losing mobility, the elderly find it challenging to move around and live more independently.
But staying active and engaged is equally crucial for their physical and mental health and reduces their risk of falling, as revealed by a recent study.
So, talk with their physiotherapist and determine the right exercises for them. Also, encourage them to move around daily to enhance their muscle and bone strength, eventually boosting their mobility and independence.
This could be as simple as taking assisted walks around the house or something more engaging, like enrolling in a senior fitness program to exercise with their peers.
Expert Tip: If you have a senior loved one living with dementia, it’s worth understanding the causes of dementia wandering and how to prevent it. This will help mitigate the wandering risks even when they take walks alone.
3. Provide Socialisation Opportunities
Isolation is a major cause of emotional distress for the elderly. It increases body inflammation and stress hormone levels, raises blood pressure, and leads to depression.
This often promotes poor health outcomes in seniors, including:
- Increased risks of falls and injuries
- Increased chances of re-hospitalization
- Dementia
- Early deaths
Socialisation, on the other hand, will increase positivity, promote brain health, and improve your elderly loved one’s overall standards of living.
Create opportunities for your senior loved ones to constantly interact with friends and family through regular visits, calls, discussion groups, and other fun activities.
Simple, easy-to-use devices designed with seniors in mind, whether that’s a straightforward phone, tablet, or video-calling gadget, can make a real difference in helping the elderly stay socially connected with loved ones even when they’re not in the same place.
Provide Convenient and Affordable Senior Care With In-Home Care
When our loved ones age and begin to lose their independence, stress and frustrations often kick in.
Caring for them from home is an excellent way to maintain their independence and encourage comfortable aging. It also ensures your loved ones receive the one-on-one attention they need.
You also won’t have to worry about incurring high care costs. Thanks to technology, you can now invest in affordable assistive devices that let your elderly loved ones maintain independent lives and require minimal in-home care.
Check out Aura to see how it can help.
“Excellent product and customer service. Someone is always at hand to offer support and clarify any doubts. Can’t recommend enough.”
Luiza R, Verified Buyer