Old age has several changes in terms of social, psychological, emotional and physical aspects. This occurs due to complicated conditions associated with depreciating health. Specialized care should be provided within the home environment or in retirement homes. The choice on whether to take care of the senior citizens’ needs at home or in a retirement home depends on the advantages and disadvantages associated with various care plans. Home-based programs provide better care for the elderly in comparison to the retirement home.
According to the Joint Commission (2011), home is the best setting for healthcare service provision to senior citizens. The provision of this care involves the adjustment of the environment to fit the needs of the patient. The benefits of home-based care can be explored in a variety of ways.
Old age brings with it several of psychological challenges. Senior citizens deal with the fear of death, loneliness, and loss of a spouse. This worsens if they lack adequate attention and love from their children and grandchildren. Moving the individual to a retirement home further limits the amount of time spent with loved ones. He/she may feel unloved and unwanted; this results in stress, depression, and other anxiety-related complications. This ensures provision of the individual’s health needs while he/she remains within the comfort of a home surrounded by loved ones. It promotes reassurance and the feeling of being a significant part of the family. Contentment and happiness go a long way in ensuring psychological wellbeing (The Joint Commission, 2011).
Dealing with complications such as memory loss, schizophrenia, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders can be psychologically draining. When going through such hard times, it is important for the patient to have love and support from family members; something that can be hard to accomplish when one moves to a retirement home. This provides hope and strength to cope with knowing that there are people who care for his/her wellbeing. The lack of family support leads to the feeling of isolation and lack of a purpose in life. Kimondo (2012) adds that isolation associates with deterioration of the individual’s health.
The adoption of home-based care incorporates limited changes in the home environment. Apart from few adjustments such as medications, medical equipment, and the installation of ramps and rails, most aspects of living remain intact. The adjustments aim at making life and movement easier for the patient due to a reduction on his/her ability to perform various activities. The maintenance of a familiar environment helps in transition and acceptance of old age and factors associated with it. Through interaction with the nurse and family members, they enjoy their twilight years. This is contrary to the situation in nursing homes where patients are many. The nurses lack the time to interact with individuals on an individual basis. It results in boredom, feeling of helplessness and deteriorating health.
In the home, the patient interacts with healthy and active members of the family. The liveliness takes his/her mind away from imminent death a fear plaguing most senior citizens. It creates a feeling of youth and memories of good times when he/she was young. In the retirement homes, patients have colleagues their age or older. They witness the health of others deteriorate and face the reality of their lives.
Medically, hiring a nurse to take care of a patient’s medical needs in the home ensures adequate attention. The undivided attention facilitates the provision of improved basic care such as bathing, taking blood pressure levels and providing companionship. The constant interaction between the patient and nurse ensures any changes in the medical condition is detected and catered for early enough. The fact that the nurse does not have several responsibilities ensures his/her sole focus is on the wellbeing of the patient. This helps the nurse realize the psychological challenges the patients may be facing thus, help him/her cope. In a retirement home, realization of medical needs is hard due to limited staff and high number of patients.
Today, home care is not only limited to the provision of basic medical care (The Joint Commission, 2010). Through technological advancements, equipment, and medication, can be incorporated into the family home this caters for critical care in a less controlled environment. This eliminates the need for services offered in retirement homes.
In the home, there are limited chances of medical errors. The focus on the needs of a single patient reduces the chance of mix-ups and misdiagnosis. The nurse has a clear understanding of the patient’s condition and medical requirements. In contrast, retirement homes handle a variety of complications and are likely to make mistakes (The Joint Commission, 2010).
In home care, the expenses incurred are relatively lower in comparison to retirement homes. Most of the patient’s needs can be provided for through the use of available materials. Apart from the payment of caretakers, medications and medical equipment, the expenses are low. There is a variety of cost-effective home care models for families. Family members can also help in providing for the patient’s needs. This cuts on costs while at the same time ensures the provision of safe and quality care.
Within the home, patients retain the feeling of independence and ability to control their lives. They take part in the decision-making regarding their health and daily routines. They can choose care models, medications, and activities of interest. This is contrary to the situation in retirement homes where patients have to conform to regulations and institutional routines (Kimondo, 2012). They do not take part in decision-making regarding their health. At home, the patient gets adequate personal space and facilities to ensure privacy. A self-contained room ensures personal things remain intact due to lack of interference from family members. In retirement homes, most rooms and facilities are shared thus, making life uncomfortable.
The nurse has the responsibility of ensuring the patient is comfortable. Within the home, this limits cases of psychological or physical abuse by nurses. The fear of repercussions from other family members ensures nurses communicate with patients in a friendly manner. This boosts trust and ability to express challenges the patients may be facing. In retirement homes, patients are likely to experience cases of; physical and psychological abuse, poor communication, and rudeness. This causes psychological trauma, which contributes to poor health (Kimondo, 2012).
Several arguments occur on the best means of providing for senior citizens’ needs in retirement homes or home-based care. Providing for the patient’s at home has more benefits psychologically, medically, financially and socially. This ensures the patients experience their twilight years in the comfort of a loving home surrounded by family members. Through the provision of quality and personalized care, they are able to cope with ailments associated with old age. Despite the challenges associated with home-based care, it remains the best way to cater for these needs. Nobody wants to grow old alone, locked away in a retirement home when he/she can experience the energy of youth in a family setting.
Reference
Kimondo, J. W. (2012). Benefits and Challenges Encountered by Elderly Living in Nursing Homes. ARCADA, Retrieved May 14, 2013 from http://www.publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/51343/Kimondo%20Juliah.pd f?sequence=1
The Joint Commission. (2011). Home-The Best Place for Health Care: A positioning statement from the Joint Commission on the state of home care industry, Retrieved May 14, 2013 from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/Home_Care_position_paper_4_5_11.pdf
