Senior caregivers will continue to be in demand as seniors live longer and choose to age-in-place in the home or move to an Assisted Living community which may require additional caregiving services.
Medicare, the health insurance for seniors, does not pay for long-term care in a nursing home nor at home. Americans are on their own paying for senior care unless they run out of money and then qualify for the low-income health insurance program which is called Medicaid. You must have next to no assets, though, to qualify for Medicaid and then a nursing home will be an option, paid for by Medicaid. You may learn about nursing home costs in Caregiverlist’s Nursing Home Ratings and Costs Directory, providing the daily costs of nursing homes nationwide along with the Medicare health inspection reports.
The daily rate for a nursing home can range from $170 to $600, depending on the level of care services needed. It is also important to learn about the staff-to-patient ratio in a nursing home. If there is only one Certified Nursing Aide for 12 to 15 residents, which is common, it may be impossible for the nursing assistant to provide proper care for each resident each morning and evening, which is why a resident may skip a shower and not be taken to the dining hall. C.N.A.’s who have worked at nursing homes will share their stories with you about the challenges of delivering quality care because of low staffing levels.
This is why often a private caregiving service will be hired by a family to provide a few hours of care a day for a senior while they are in a nursing home. Senior home care agencies will provide part-time care services in a nursing home for a senior and then be up-to-speed on their care needs when they move back home. Quality senior home care agencies provide coverage for worker’s compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, payroll taxes, as required by law, and active care management and training.
