If a loved one requires intensive care and 24-hour supervision, a nursing home is often the best and only option. However, if your loved one still has the ability to safely care for themselves and only requires some additional help with their day-to-day activities and care, there are other options available.
To determine the level of care your loved one requires, it may be helpful to consult with their doctors, clergy, therapists, social workers, other family members, or anyone else that may know of their health situation and their ability to care for themselves. You should also have a discussion with your loved one on what their preferences and needs may be and keep those in mind while you prepare a care plan that is appropriate for them.
Each community is different in what services it has to offer the elderly. Once you have a care plan in place, you will then need to search out what your area has locally available and begin the process of contacting them to ask questions, arrange interviews, and schedule visits to determine if their services will be appropriate for what your loved one requires.
