Nursing Homes Vs Home Care: Discover Why Second Option Is Better
For many people, aging brings certain health conditions that make them less independent. They may need help with very simple daily tasks. At this point, many family members face a dilemma: what type of care is better for their seniors? Are live-in care and personal assistance at home better than moving an elderly adult to a specialized care facility? If that’s the question you ask yourself too, you’ve come to the right place.
Via comprehensive nursing homes vs home care comparison, we’ll try to reveal every detail you should know before making your choice. We’ll explain the differences between in-home care and nursing homes, show the advantages and disadvantages of each option both for seniors and for their families, and help you understand why home care is one of the best alternatives to assisted living.
Home Care Vs Nursing Homes Definition Explained
To see how nursing homes vs in-home health care compare, let’s start with looking into what each option is about, what stands behind it, and how it will deliver to your expectations.
As the name suggests, in-home care is a type of caregiving provided in the comfort of home. Modern in-home care is much more diverse than simply hiring a private caregiver or attendant to look after an aging or disabled individual. Today, it covers anything from mere homemaking and part-time assistance to all-day care.
In-home care services embrace companion care, assistance with household chores, regular help with daily living activities as well as attendance of professional nurses, physical therapists, and other certified healthcare specialists to help recovering patients, disabled, and people with some chronic health conditions.
When supportive assistance is not enough, many families refer to nursing homes. While in-home care services are provided by certified agencies or private caregivers, nursing homes are specialized facilities that ensure extensive care for people who don’t have to be in the hospital but can’t be cared for in home settings. Equipped with all the necessary amenities and creating a residential environment, nursing homes deliver 24/7 care that covers not only assistance with activities of daily living, personal hygiene, meals, and mobility issues but also qualified medical aid and rehab therapy.
Apart from skilled care, nursing homes usually strive to set up an involving and bonding atmosphere via specific in-house activities such as games, fitness sessions, reading classes, and crafts to encourage seniors to communicate and socialize, thus promoting the recovery process and mental health. And this is one of the main reasons why some families tend to choose a nursing home vs care at home for adults who require care.
Nursing Home Care Vs Home Care: In-Depth Comparison
The biggest difference between personal home care vs nursing home is not even in the scope of service and the place of providing that service, but rather in the overall approach. While in-home care aims at helping beneficiaries to age in place while enjoying familiar home settings they are used to, the major goal of nursing homes is to ensure the ultimate health safety while maintaining common living needs and basic comfort.
To give you a better vision of how in-home care vs nursing homes compare, let’s consider how they stand in the major aspects you’d normally consider when selecting a certain type of care for your loved one.
| Nursing Home | In-home Care | |
| Average monthly expenses | $6000 to $8000 | $3000 to $4000 (based on 44 hrs a week) |
| Diverse payment options | Yes | Yes (with private pays prioritized) |
| Insurance and grants availability | Yes | Yes |
| Veteran programs | Yes | Yes |
| Activities of daily living | Yes | Yes |
| Individual hygiene | Yes | Yes |
| Cooking and feeding | Yes | Yes |
| Housemaking | Yes | Yes |
| Mobility aids | Yes | Limited |
| Dementia and Alzheimer’s care | Yes | Yes |
| Qualified nursing and medical care | Yes | Limited depending on the needs and health conditions |
| Therapies | Yes | Limited |
| Social activities | Yes | Limited to certain types |
| Transportation and outings | Yes | Individually discussed |
As you can see, the major areas where home care vs nursing homes are different are the cost of service, specialized care options, and socialization.
Service cost is often a limiting factor for many individuals seeking supporting care. Assisted living in special facilities is generally more expensive than home care. However, the final cost of home care vs nursing homes will vary depending on the locality, scope of service, and the type of care needed.
As a result, average service rates vary greatly by state, county, and city. The higher the average local living costs, the higher the care expenses. Thus, personal care services in New York are about 10% to 15% more expensive than personal care services in Nassau.
Why Home Care Is Better Than Nursing Homes
Though both options have their pros and cons and, traditionally, people consider nursing homes a better solution, the popularity of in-home care has raised dramatically over the past years. People pinpoint more and more benefits of home care vs nursing home services. Here are a few of them:
- With a home caregiver, you can rest assured your loved one will be under consistent attendance of the same person. Not only does it ensure more attention and better safety, but it also enables the beneficiary to feel more confident and protected with a familiar person. By way of contrast, in nursing homes your loved one will be served by different nurses and caregivers;
- Most seniors are emotionally bound to their homes. So, moving to a nursing facility and getting used to new settings will be very stressful for them. No nursing home will substitute the comfort and safety of their own homes. With in-home care, they will feel comfortable, calm, and in place;
- East or west, home is best. Many studies prove that aging adults who stay at home tend to live longer, retaining better physical and mental health. Likewise, recovering patients and those with chronic states recuperate much faster at home as compared to the hospital;
- Home health care versus nursing home care offers a personalized approach. In contrast to rather generic care methods applied in nursing homes, in-home services will be customized and tailored to your individual needs;
- In their own homes, seniors have more freedom and independence to do what they like. They are the ones who set the rules. In nursing homes, they will have to observe certain restrictions and get used to living under a schedule;
- Finally, personal care at home vs nursing home is more affordable since there are no lodging and equipment costs involved.
Consider In-Home Care Services For Your Loved Ones At Galaxy Home Care
If the idea of in-home care speaks to you, Galaxy Home Care will cater to all your needs in New York. We provide a complete range of personal care, companionship, homemaking, and live-in care services as well as skilled nursing care and specialty care for Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.
Our main focus is always on customer needs, and we will take into account all your demands and every individual detail when working out a personal service program for you or your loved one.
With our team of well-trained caregivers and certified nurses, you can rely on the highest service quality, due diligence, and professionalism.
FAQ
What is the difference between home care and a nursing home?
Don’t let the word home confuse you here. Home care is about providing personal care services in the comfort of the beneficiary’s own home, while a nursing home is an assisted living facility that will require beneficiaries to live outside their homes.
While sharing the same goal, these two care options differ in the scope and scale of service. Thus, nursing homes offer more extensive medical care, specialized procedures, and all-day supervision that can’t be ensured in home settings.
Why are home care services more popular than nursing home care now?
By and large, the main reason is the ultimate beneficiary’s comfort. Residing in their own homes, seniors feel more confident, protected, and bonded, and, as a result, more comfortable. This, in its turn, promotes their emotional and cognitive stability, physical and mental health.
Is home care cheaper than a nursing home?
Basically, yes, in-home care is more affordable, unless you need some specific services or around-the-clock assistance. Nursing homes are usually more expensive due to lodging and general equipment costs that are included in service rates anyway.