Reasons to Consider Long-Term Care for Your Loved One
Any number of health conditions, from serious injury to dementia and Alzheimer’s, can rob older adults of their ability to perform many routine tasks they would earlier have taken for granted. Activities like home maintenance, financial management, and even simpler tasks like eating, bathing, and dressing pose seemingly insurmountable challenges. If your loved one is in this situation, it can be frustrating for all involved. That’s when it’s time to consider a West Virginia long-term care facility like Princeton Health Care Center.
Why Consider Long-Term Care?
There are many functional and quality of life issues that raise red flags. Deciding when the tipping point has arrived is an individual decision, but the factors below each deserve consideration.
Your Loved One Poses a Danger to Themselves or Others
Especially when cognitive ability isn’t what it was, some older adults may engage in behaviors that pose a danger to themselves or others. Aggressive behavior, wandering, or sundowning — agitation and disorientation that comes late in the day — places significant stress on your loved one and their caregivers alike. Even the most patient and best-intentioned family member may find these behaviors difficult, if not nearly impossible, to deal with over the long term.
Their Care Needs Fall Outside Your Skill Set
It’s easy enough to take a loved one into your home when their needs consist mostly of companionship, TLC, and a bit of help with routine tasks. However, as time passes, older adults are more likely to need skilled care that falls outside family caregivers’ skill sets. If your loved one needs rehabilitation, physical therapy, or occupational therapy, you may find that even your best intentions and efforts can fall short.
You Have Exhausted Your Resources
There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for those we love. However, it must be acknowledged that providing in-home care for a loved one taxes every resource you have, leaving you short of time, sleep, and money. You deserve better, and so does the person for whom you’re caring.
When to Plan for Long-Term Care
An old proverb says that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the second-best time is now. Planning for long-term care works much the same way; the earlier, the better, and if you haven’t had these conversations yet with your loved one, you should start as soon as possible. It’s the best way to ensure that everyone’s hopes and concerns get a fair hearing and that the process remains as stress-free as can be.
Why Princeton Health Care Center?
Long-term care must consider not only the physical but also social and emotional, well-being of the individual. This is what Princeton Health Care Center offers in its modern 120-bed nursing center. Each resident’s daily needs are addressed by our trained staff in a setting that offers both private and semi-private rooms decorated to provide a touch of home.
What’s more, we also offer a 60-bed dementia care unit that was the first of its kind in West Virginia, and which remains respected for its quality of care. We care for your loved ones as if they were our own family. If you’re evaluating long-term care facilities, we invite you to contact us for a consultation and tour of our facilities.