Important Eldercare Facts

By Rue Nichols


The eldercare industry is booming, mainly because Americans are simply living longer and many older seniors need personalized options for daily living. While many seniors are still completely independent, others need a bit more help and some need round-the-clock care. A variety of eldercare options is available to suit individual needs and tastes.

For that wide range of options for eldercare, you can check out California with its offerings of inclusive of board and care homes, the more chic assisted living facilities and the skilled nursing facilities wherein residents can get medical care as well as rehabilitation. Consider always the two main factors when determining the right eldercare for you - physical needs and budget.

Amongst your eldercare options it is the assisted living that is by far the most costly but it also comes with a great variety of amenities and activities as well as better room and meal choices. In California, there are more than 160,000 seniors in assisted living communities. This makes the average monthly cost for assisted living in California about $4,000 monthly, depending where each lives.

A nursing home, which also is often called a skilled nursing facility, also can be quite expensive, but many of these homes allow payment via Medicaid or Medicare. This can make nursing homes a good option for many seniors with a small income. In the United States, there are more than 17,000 nursing homes and more than 1.5 million Americans live in the homes. Sometimes, though, a nursing home is a temporary residence for a person of any age recovering from a serious illness or injury. For example, after a stroke, a person might live in a nursing home until they have undergone enough rehabilitation to allow them to return home or to perhaps live in assisted living or have in-home care.

Another option for seniors to have is one located in private homes, the board and care homes. There are six or fewer residents accommodated in such homes which are required to be licensed by the state. California is home to about 8,000 licensed care facilities for seniors and majority are board and care homes. These homes are less expensive than assisted living and residents can get help for daily tasks however not including medical care of course. SSI or Medicaid 1915c waivers are sometimes welcome to use in lowering monthly costs for these homes as opposed to assisted living.

Those looking for board and care in the area of San Diego or Orange County, or perhaps assisted living in the same areas can feel free to contact Care Placement. Through them you can pick amongst the choices of senior care options which they have pre-screened in order for you to have the facility most suitable for your need or your loved one's need. You can find their simple questionnaire which is what you need to fill up in order to begin the process, and consequently be contacted by their staff member for you to discuss the options open for you.




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