7 Different Types of Senior and Elderly Care Living Options

Old age is a very varied time of life – for some, they remain in great health and it is an active and vibrant period. Others find it more challenging due to health conditions or physical issues. Whatever the case, as we get older the needs of our living conditions can change and that’s why there are various different types of senior and elderly care to help get the right choice.

Independent living communities

Independent living communities are for singles and couples who can look after themselves but want to live in a community with others of their own age group. It is a slight step from living in your own home and offers a sense of community and togetherness that can help combat one of the big problems of the elderly – loneliness.

Assisted living

Assisted living is the next step and can be varied in what it offers. It is for people who want some backup if they have problems or the reassurance that someone is around. It can be a single old age residential care home with a few residents or a large complex of apartments with on-site medical facilities and recreational centres.

Nursing or care homes

Residential care in Wolverhampton and around the UK is also very varied to suit the needs of people. They can offer general old age care and respite care as well as special care for people with particular needs such as:

• Dementia care
• Mental health condition care
• Physical disability care
• Sensory impairment care

In-home care

This is the type of care where either a family or friend or a professional carer spends part or all of the day in the home of the elderly person to support them. This can be done with many people who have sometimes complex health issues as long as treatment can be successfully given in the home. It is often the most expensive care option.

Temporary or day care

Temporary or day care often involves a residential care home where the person stays for a short period of time, known as respite care, or where they visit during the day when a carer is at work. It is also a good way to get particular care after an operation or a period of ill health.

Continuous or hybrid care

This is more of care plan than a specific option because it involves using a range of different care options to best suit the needs of the period. For example, it may involve using outpatient day medical care and independent living facilities as well as short periods in a full-time care home.

Palliative care

Palliative care is specialist care for those with serious long-term illnesses, untreatable or terminal conditions. It offers help with pain management and the various issues that affect people with the most serious conditions. A hospice is a type of palliative care where people stay for the last stages of their lives to provide comfort and support in their final time and is often a dedicated centre for this purpose.