What is the Difference Between a Residential Care Home and Home Care?

When it comes to your loved one, you want to ensure that you find high-quality senior care because they deserve the best. Whether you are their primary caregiver or have begun to notice that they need one, you want to respect their autonomy and desire for privacy while still keeping them safe and healthy. The great news is that getting your loved one the care they need doesn’t have to be a complex and challenging process.

At Hope’s Residence, we offer senior assisted living in Brooklyn Park, MN. With our specialized residential assisted living community, we can accommodate your loved one’s need for support with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing or medication management. We strive to provide the best care possible with our intimate staff-to-resident ratio. We want them to feel like part of the family, which is why we always put the focus on their social, mental, and physical well-being.

Have you been wondering about the different senior living options available for your loved one? And what the difference is between a residential care home and home care for seniors? Well, we’re here to help you break them down, so you can make the best choice for your loved one.

Residential Care

Simply put, residential care is 24-hour care for your loved one. Most residential care homes do everything they can to make the transition from home to home as smooth as possible. If your loved one has a pet, you’ll want to check to see if the residential facility allows pets since many do not.

For many seniors, the type of care and support with activities of daily life required can exceed what home care offers. Generally, home care does not supervise a senior throughout the entire day; it is only for a few hours each day. With residential care, you’ll never have to worry that your loved one will have the support they need day and night.

As a residential care facility, Hope’s Residence provides customized meals, personal hygiene assistance, laundry, housekeeping, medication assistance, help with other basic daily activities, and supervision throughout the day. Our intimate Brooklyn Park senior care community boasts an impressive caregiver to resident ratio that is more than double that of many larger institutional facilities. So, you can be assured that your loved one will receive the best possible care available 24 hours a day.

Home Care

Home care refers to services provided in the senior’s home. This often means that a specialist or nurse comes in for a certain number of hours every day to assist with basic daily activities like taking care of personal hygiene, giving medication, assisting with mobility around the home, keeping the home clean, and cooking meals.

While home care often revolves around your loved one’s preferred schedule, residential care facilities offer special customized care plans as well. Typically, residential care facilities have specific bedtimes, mealtimes, and planned activities, whereas home care allows your loved one to make their own plans and sometimes, spur-of-the-moment changes.

Home care is often a more affordable option for many families and might be the right choice for yours, depending on your loved one’s insurance coverage. Talk to their doctor and their insurance company to find out what is covered and what will need to be paid for out-of-pocket. Usually, home care is best suited for seniors who do not need 24/7 care.

Making the Best Choice for Your Loved One

It may seem challenging to compare them, but most of your decision should be based on your loved one’s wants and individual needs. For more basic needs, or if your loved one isn’t suffering from memory loss and can live independently, home care might be the right decision for additional supportive services they may need throughout the day. This will allow your loved one to remain in their current home.

Residential care is a great option for seniors with more complex needs or those who need around-the-clock care. Some facilities offer both kinds of care, so you and your loved one can try home care and then switch to residential care if needed. Always make sure to do your research, so you know exactly what types of services and amenities the facility offers. At Hope’s Residence, we ensure that your loved one is cared for with the love and respect they deserve.

When considering care options, the most important part is discussing these options with your loved one and ensuring that the selected option will meet their physical, mental, and emotional needs. Learning to live with less independence after a lifetime of being on their own can be a challenge, so it’s vital to respect their desire for autonomy and dignity in their golden years.

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