It's Important To Understand All The Options Of Long-Term Care
Recently I was visiting with a very close friend who happens to be an executive with Alberta Health Services. She was sharing a story with me of a mutual friend whose mother’s Dementia was becoming more difficult to manage and the family had made the decision to place her and her dad in an Assisted Living Facility.
The decision to move her parents had consequences. Once they moved mom, she became worse and was placed into a Long-Term Care facility. Their father now was not with his wife, he was not equipped to manage all the household responsibilities and he did not feel comfortable driving to visit his wife. The building also had restrictions on when he could visit his wife due to Covid-19 concerns. They also don’t talk about the staffing shortages that all of the facilities are facing as a result of COVID-19 and attrition of health care professionals.
When I asked my friend how and why the family made the decision to place their mother, they were convinced that they had no other options. They also thought in-home care would be too costly.
There are differences between Home Care and Facility Care. The Facility Care industry continues to reassure the public that their buildings are safe communities for seniors. Their marketing shows healthy seniors playing cards with others, or a group taking a painting class. What they do not tell us, is that the seniors with memory issues are often put into a locked unit, with others also with memory issues. The staffing ratios are often 1 staff member to 8 (or more) seniors. These care staff are not nurses. Many times, there is only 1 nurse in the building during certain shifts. They also do not tell the families that an overwhelming number of the COVID deaths in Canada happen to residents in these congregate types of settings.
Our friend thought it would be too expensive to care for her mother at home. Now she is struggling with the worry about her father. She moved them out of their home that was mortgage free into a building that cost $4500/month. Yes, that included once a week housekeeping, meals, and activities……The daughter still had to clean the suite more often than once a week, she still had to do their laundry, and this price included no nursing care, and her parents are private people who do not go to the activities. Once mom moved to Long Term care, they were now paying $2000.00 per month for her AHS funded Long Term Care bed, and $4500.00 per month for the dad’s suite!!
The reality is private home care is more economical in many cases, while providing a better and safer care option for the senior. 15 hours of weekly home care would cost approximately $2157 per month. This care would support both the husband and wife and allow them to remain at home. My friend wishes she had known all of this before her friend had made her parents move!
Check into your options, before you decide.
Debbie Franchuk, RN, BN is the President of Home Instead of Calgary, AB. She has spent most of her 35-year nursing career in Seniors Home Care in Calgary.
