Types of Senior Care
The financial options and care coverage available to help pay for senior care are dependent on the type of care required. For example, some government programs will help pay for a skilled nursing facility, but not in-home care. If you are just beginning the research process, it is helpful to have an idea about the type of care you or your loved one will require. Also please be aware that a type of care is often referred to by many different names.
Skilled vs. Custodial Care
At the highest level there are two types of care, skilled and custodial care. Skilled care describes services that can be given only by skilled or licensed medical personnel. Custodial care (also called non-skilled care) helps with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing and eating. This is typical for seniors with Alzheimer's / dementia. Both skilled and custodial care can be provided at home, in Adult Day Care or in residential communities.
Geriatric Care Managers
Geriatric Care Managers (or GCMs) help families create and implement
long term care plans for their loved ones. Typically this includes an
in-person needs assessment, the development and review of a care plan
and arranging and monitoring care services. Only a third offer
financial planning; most leave that for specialized eldercare financial
planners. GCMs do not usually provide hands-on care themselves.
GCMs will also be referred to as elder care managers, case managers and
service or care coordinators. In addition to a certification from the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM), many are licensed by their
different professional backgrounds; which include social workers,
nurses, therapists and assisted living or home care professionals.
There are both public and private care managers. Medicare and Medicaid
will sometimes pay for public GCMs under the Community Waiver Program,
but do not pay for private ones. Long term care insurance, if
available, may help.
In addition to the convenience, time-saving and security they provide,
Care Managers can save families money because their needs assessments
align an individual’s present condition with only those services that
are necessary at that time.
Care Locations
- At Home - If provided at the senior’s home, Home or Personal Care Aides provide custodial care. They bathe and dress the senior, help with laundry, cooking and accompany them to doctors’ appointments or on other errands. Home Health Aides offer skilled care such as checking patients’ pulse, temperature or respiration. They assist with braces, artificial limbs and other medical equipment such as ventilators.
- At Adult Day Care - In a manner similar to Children’s Day Care, Adult Day Care provides elders with supervision and care in a structured setting during daytime hours allowing their caregivers to go to work. There are two types of Adult Day Programs. Adult Social Day Care offers basic health services, meals and activities while Adult Day Health Care provides intensive health services for individuals that might otherwise need to reside in a skilled nursing community.
- In Residential Communities - There are four categories of residential communities and each is referred to by many different names.
2. Assisted Living – residences provide help with activities of daily living including basic health services, recreational and social activities.
3. Skilled Nursing – residences with 24/7 care by licensed health professionals including all housekeeping, medical and social needs.
4. Continuing Care Retirement Communities – residences that provide a continuum of care from independent living to assisted living to skilled nursing. These are designed to enable seniors with progressively declining health to remain in a single residential location or give healthy seniors the peace of mind that all their future needs are covered.
Types of Residential Care for Seniors | ||||
Residence Type | Independent Living | Assisted Living Communities | Nursing Homes | Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
Description | Single family homes or townhomes for self-sufficient seniors that offer the security and social activities of a community living environment. | Communities, typically of 2-3 story apartments, that provide 24 hr assistance with activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, and using the bathroom but not 24 hr offer medical services. | Communities, typically apartments, which provides 24 hr assistance with activities of daily living and medical care by nurses and therapists. | Campus-like communities that provides a continuum of care, from private residences to assisted living and skilled nursing care; designed for individuals with declining conditions and those that want to remain in a single location. |
Services | -Laundry / linen service Note there are more expensive communities that have all the luxuries of country clubs. | -Laundry / linen service | -Laundry / linen service | -Laundry / linen service |
Regulation | -Not Regulated | -State Regulations | -State & Federal Regulations | -Some State Regulations |
Also Known As | -Retirement Communities | -Assisted Living Facilities | -Skilled Nursing Facilities | -CCRCS |
Approximate Costs | -Market rate to rent or buy a home plus community fees from $200 – $2,000 / month. | -$1,800 to $4,000 / month | -$4,000 - $12,000 / month | -Varies with breadth of services required. |
