When it may be time for 24 hour care

While many older adults want to remain independent, there comes a time where this may no longer be possible. Mobility issues and chronic conditions can make extra care especially necessary. If a parent can no longer walk without assistance and has frailty problems that could cause an accident in an assisted living apartment, it may be time to transition to a nursing home.


Jane Gross recently wrote about her own experience looking for a 24-hour care alternative for her mother in The New York Times.


"As my mother deteriorated in her assisted living facility, I got her three hours a week of personal care.

It wasn't nearly enough. Many nights she couldn't make it to the dining room on her walker," she writes.


So, she faced a decision - an assisted living apartment with constant care or a nursing home. One of the biggest considerations for the family was finances, because it was likely that Gross' mother would run out of money. In this case, Gross viewed nursing homes as a safer alternative, because they also took Medicaid payments.


This ended up being the right choice for the Gross family, even though her mother had originally been adamant in her refusal to go to a nursing home. 


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