Long-term health care, also referred to as chronic care, involves a variety of services that include providing assistance to those with disabilities or illnesses of a chronic nature. A person may need only moderate assistance, or he or she may be completely incapacitated. Such circumstances can affect people of all ages, but many individuals who require help of this type are elderly.
Experts predict that approximately 12 million Americans will need long-term assistance by the year 2014. This is why if it appears that a person will need such help in the future, advance planning is vital. Discussing such eventualities with loved ones is always a good idea for any person, particularly those who are elderly. This way, if the individual becomes incapacitated or disabled, his or her wishes can be carried out by family members.
Services of this kind are sometimes necessary even if the person still resides at home. Home health aides, volunteers, or services from both avenues may allow an individual to keep his or her independence longer than if the person had no assistance at all. In other cases, the patient has no alternative but to enter a long-term care facility.
Those with disabilities or illnesses that make it impractical for them to maintain a safe environment at home are sometimes enrolled at an adult day care establishment. Such services are designed for individuals who need supervision, but can go back to their primary residence when other adults are there to provide help if it becomes necessary. Such establishments usually take only a limited number of people, so that each individual has appropriate supervision when he or she is at the facility.
Residential facilities or group homes are other options one has when it is no longer realistic to live independently. Residents of such establishments are typically given assistance with the activities of daily living, and if a nurse is on staff, the administration of medications. Individuals are usually on staff twenty-four hours a day to help residents of such homes.
A similar option to the one outlined above is an assisted living establishment. The latter also provide personal care twenty-four hours a day, but this help is limited to moderate assistance. Those who choose to dwell at such an establishment must be able to move and walk and without help.
Skilled nursing facilities are the best choice for those who cannot live safely in one of the aforementioned communities. Also called nursing homes, such establishments offer a wide range of health services including medical treatment and the administration of medication. Registered nurses are typically on staff at all times, and residents are also offered recreational activities if they are able to participate.
There is a vast array of options in most cases regarding how to pay for such services. For example, a basic medical insurance policy may cover a certain percentage of long-term services. The patient may also qualify for Medicare if he or she has passed a certain age. In some instances, the patient's family pays for such services privately. Anyone who needs chronic care should refrain from making a final decision until all his or her options have been reviewed.
Experts predict that approximately 12 million Americans will need long-term assistance by the year 2014. This is why if it appears that a person will need such help in the future, advance planning is vital. Discussing such eventualities with loved ones is always a good idea for any person, particularly those who are elderly. This way, if the individual becomes incapacitated or disabled, his or her wishes can be carried out by family members.
Services of this kind are sometimes necessary even if the person still resides at home. Home health aides, volunteers, or services from both avenues may allow an individual to keep his or her independence longer than if the person had no assistance at all. In other cases, the patient has no alternative but to enter a long-term care facility.
Those with disabilities or illnesses that make it impractical for them to maintain a safe environment at home are sometimes enrolled at an adult day care establishment. Such services are designed for individuals who need supervision, but can go back to their primary residence when other adults are there to provide help if it becomes necessary. Such establishments usually take only a limited number of people, so that each individual has appropriate supervision when he or she is at the facility.
Residential facilities or group homes are other options one has when it is no longer realistic to live independently. Residents of such establishments are typically given assistance with the activities of daily living, and if a nurse is on staff, the administration of medications. Individuals are usually on staff twenty-four hours a day to help residents of such homes.
A similar option to the one outlined above is an assisted living establishment. The latter also provide personal care twenty-four hours a day, but this help is limited to moderate assistance. Those who choose to dwell at such an establishment must be able to move and walk and without help.
Skilled nursing facilities are the best choice for those who cannot live safely in one of the aforementioned communities. Also called nursing homes, such establishments offer a wide range of health services including medical treatment and the administration of medication. Registered nurses are typically on staff at all times, and residents are also offered recreational activities if they are able to participate.
There is a vast array of options in most cases regarding how to pay for such services. For example, a basic medical insurance policy may cover a certain percentage of long-term services. The patient may also qualify for Medicare if he or she has passed a certain age. In some instances, the patient's family pays for such services privately. Anyone who needs chronic care should refrain from making a final decision until all his or her options have been reviewed.
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