10 ways to save thousands in Senior Care for Loved Ones

By William Smith

Many families struggle and are confused on what to do with mom or dad when they start to have physical difficulties as they age. An Assisted living community or a nursing home is out of the question for many due to costs and/ or you just want an alternative.

I live in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, the average cost of assisted living for seniors is approximately $4,600 per month. This figure has seen a 4.55% increase in the last year¹. Keep in mind that the level of care required and the specific location within Wisconsin can impact the cost .

The average cost for nursing home care in Wisconsin is around $8,684 per month for a semiprivate room¹, or $87,363 per year². This is close to the national average of $6,360 per month², and lower than some neighboring states like Minnesota and Michigan¹. The cost of nursing home care in Wisconsin may vary depending on the location, quality, and services of the facility.

• The base fee for room and board cited by most assisted living facilities does not include personal care services, which usually incur additional fees.

If you have a family member that needs help with living in their homes and do not want to go into an assisted living community or stay at a nursing home long term, I may have some ways for you to assist with cutting some of the costs. It may not be ideal for everyone, but it is still an alternative that one should consider. One of your parents may be able to assist with this situation.

1. Convert the living room to a Care Room. The living room is one of the largest rooms in the house. You will also keep caregivers from roaming other rooms and have all your supplies and equipment centralized. Remove coffee tables, end tables, etc. Any obstacle that would prevent free movement should be removed. If one of your parents is mobile and does not need care, they will have a private space in the house to rejuvenate.
2. Purchase your own Sit to Stand lift or a Hoyer lift from a medical supply company. This is a life saver. Nursing homes as well as some assisted living communities utilize these devices to move your elderly parent to transfer from a bed to a chair and vice versa. If you or your loved one is accepted into an assisted living community, many will suggest you purchase your own sit to stand lift anyways. You can learn how to use the devise from the manufacturer itself or on you tube, the seller also assists in training you. Initially, it does cost to purchase the lift, but the savings surely outweigh the costs of a nursing home. It costs from $1200 to $3800 for a Sit to stand lift.
3. Purchase a wheel chair or get a wheelchair from a loaning program. Many cities have a loaning program with their department of aging. Medicare may help with the purchase. The veterans dept will certainly give wheelchairs to vets.
4. Purchase a commode. You can use the lift to bring him/ her onto the commode. Again, keeping everything central-makes the whole process easier.
5. Purchase a hospital bed. Medicare usually will help with the costs. If your loved one is in a nursing home currently, the social worker can order one for you with Medicare to transport to your home. Having a Retracting Head Section – keeps the user close to the nightstand when they raise the head section of the bed. This is an additional safety feature that greatly reduces fall risk as well as reduces bodily stress on the person in bed. They can watch TV in the evening . Purchase a mattress that helps at reducing bed sores will also help the process of assuring comfort.
6. If your loved ones have incontinent issues –there are so many products available for them online.
   1. Females-Pure Wick products-The BD PureWick™ System – Official Site (purewickathome.com)
   2. Males-Male External Catheter | Men’s Liberty (mensliberty.com)

7. Utilize Amazon to purchase Bed pads, pill organizers, adult diapers. I love amazon because the products are usually readily available and come very quickly .

8. Streamline Caregiver costs by hiring your own caregivers. You may only need a caregiver for 4 hours a day or for weekends. Nursing school’s students are ideal. Post a job at your local college that are going to major in Nursing or pre-med. Also utilize companies like Care. Com and hire your own caregiver, set the rate and also get a criminal background done.

9. Join a locale caregiving support groups in your areas. Great way to exchange ideas and to learn from each other. Also, they will suggest ways to prevent caregiver burnout.

10. Write down a budget. Keep track of expenses. Seek a financial & tax professional for tax deductions.

In short, many families struggle and are confused on what to do with mom or dad when they start to have physical difficulties as they age. I have always believed in the motto, ” Keep on Aging Forward”. As we age and have difficulties, we still should come up with alternatives / solutions to a problem. It does not mean that one who has a physical limitation should follow what the society or norm tells you to do. We still can be independent and make decisions for what is best as an individual and as a family. There is no cookie cutter approach with opportunities one may have. An Assisted living community or a nursing home maybe the only answer but there are other ideas and solutions that may be a better fit for you and/ or your loved ones.