Choosing an Alzheimer’s Care Facility
There are several types of Alzheimer’s care facilities that can help you to provide a healthy safe environment for your loved one. During the early stages of Alzheimer’s you will be caring for them in a home environment, but since this can mean exhaustive surveillance, you may need the services of an adult day care facility. These provide similar services to a long-term facility, and can give you that ‘day off’ whenever it is needed.
As the disease progresses you will probably find it necessary to place your loved one in a long-term Alzheimer’s care facility, or otherwise known as a Special Care Unit (SCU). These are facilities with trained workers that specialize in the care of Alzheimer’s patients. The care facility is designed to provide a safe and comfortable environment along with activities designed to help the individual with Alzheimer’s.
An Alzheimer’s care facility will have:
* a structured routine for Alzheimer’s residents.
* your loved one’s individual needs in mind.
* comfortable, familiar, and safe surroundings.
* a compassionate staff.
* activities that help an Alzheimer’s patient succeed at familiar tasks.
* outdoor activities, such as secured walking paths and gardening boxes.
* staff that can deal with difficult situations and behaviors.
* methods to control wandering.
Paying for an Alzheimer’s Care Facility
If your loved one is in need of an Alzheimer’s care facility, then the expense of the care facility can be a burden to your budget. There are methods that can assist you in paying for their care, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Madigap, and long-term care insurance.
Many insurance companies offer assistance to help cover the costs of an Alzheimer’s care facility in the form of life settlements, viatical settlements, and accelerated death benefits. Contact your insurance company and that of the individual who has Alzheimer’s to see what assistance their company can provide.
Mortgage companies offer an alternative to pay for an Alzheimer’s care facility with reverse mortgages. Contact your mortgage company to see what assistance they can provide. Also, the individual with Alzheimer’s may be able to receive veteran’s benefits or be eligible for the Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Check to see if there is one located in your community.
Sometimes it is necessary to obtain help from several different sources to carry the burden of an Alzheimer’s care facility. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance; no one can carry the burden of caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer’s by themselves.
