Difference Between Assisted Living Or Adult Day Care
As a senior, it is important to know the difference between assisted living and adult day care. It will allow you make the best decision pertaining to your future living. Basically, assisted living is for seniors who need some help in their day to day activities, but prefer maintaining their independence. On the other hand, an adult day care is for the elderly who are living with grown up children or who are living alone and feeling lonely and isolated. An adult day care can give respite to caregivers and also provide seniors with companionship, leisure activities and possible occupational therapies. |
Assisted Living:
In an assisted living facility, the person lives on the premises in their own apartment. The apartment can be a single bedroom or double bedroom type. The person has their own kitchen and bathroom. The senior can make their own meal or get help in the assisted living facility to make meals. Alternatively, cooked meals can be provided if the person does not want to cook.
Assisted living is ideal for seniors who have no serious medical issues and cannot live on their own, but at the same time do not require 24-hour care. The services provided vary from facility to facility. Generally, besides accommodation, the facility will also help with meals, laundry, household chores, bathing, using the bathroom, dressing and ensuring self medication. The facility will have activities such as outings, bingo, moderate exercises, musical entertainment, and arts and craft. The activities are meant to keep the residents busy and happy and also healthy.
Such facilities allow seniors companionship with their peers and provide a safe and secure environment. The senior can maintain some amount of independence, while getting help for tasks that they cannot do on their own.
While Medicaid will take care of health related expenses, as long as there is a certificate to show that the treatment is necessary, all the other expenses have to be borne by the resident. The cost of assisted living can vary from facility to facility and from one town to the next. The base cost can range anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 or more and then there is additional cost for other services that can add to the final monthly payment.
Adult Day Care:
On the other hand, adult day care functions from morning to evenings, where many provide transportation to pick up and drop the seniors. The adult day care can provide either social activities with the sole purpose of keeping the senior busy and entertained throughout the day or health-related care for checking blood pressure or monitoring medication. The latter is usually for those adults who may otherwise end up in nursing homes. Generally, most adult day care centers are a blend of both, with social as well as health related care.
Adult day care centers ensure that senior get nutritious and health meals during their time at the center along with a snack in the afternoon. In addition, meals can be customized to suit the dietary needs of individuals. Most centers have exercise programs for seniors that encourage fitness and health. In addition, they will have health screening and monitoring.
Besides this, adult day care centers have a whole range of fun and leisure activities for seniors. These could include field trips, hobby classes, bingo, puzzles, watching movies, sing-along, watching television, sewing, and arts and crafts.
Once the day comes to an end, the seniors are dropped off home. The cost of adult day care varies from one center to the other, based on what the center provides for the seniors. The average cost of adult day care can range from $25 to $100 a day. The cost is not paid by health insurance or Medicare, but in all probability the senior may get some kind of financial assistance from federal or state run programs.
More Articles :
eHow: What Are Assisted Living Facilities?
https://www.ehow.com/about_5044701_assisted-living-facilities.html
eHow: What Is Adult Day Care?
https://www.ehow.com/about_4572143_what-adult-day-care.html
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As the baby boomer generation is aging, the prospect of so many seniors living on their own or moving to family member is frightening. However, many of these seniors rather stay alone than move in with family, as they are so fixed in their ways. But, often this situation is not feasible. Also, giving the current economic scenario in the country, living with family may not be the best solution. In such circumstances, seniors have two options open to them. They can opt for institutional care or adult day care.