There are different types of long term care facilities available today for people to choose from and it’s not just nursing home like everyone assumes. These facilities provide the best care available today to meet everyone’s health care and long-term care needs. Finding the best facility depends on the level of care the care recipient needs.

Types of Long Term Care Facilities

Categorized below are the different types of long term care facilities that can help people who need any form of long-term care.

Home Care

Care provided at home is often provided by a relative or friend who assumes the role of caregiver, but hiring a care provider is also an option to provide skilled nursing, home health aide, personal care or housekeeping services. However, home care may not be a good option if the care recipient needs extensive care.

Here’s a list of services that home care provides.

Family caregiving

The type of care provided at home by family members and loved ones. Individuals choose this option because they are either unable to pay for professional care o they prefer to keep the care personal.

Home health care

It offers a range of health care services that provide assistance during an illness or injury. These include caring for wounds, prescription management, at-home physical therapy, and other related services.

Homemaker services

Provides assistance to individuals who cannot perform day-to-day household duties.

Home telehealth

It is a wide variety of technologies that help in delivering virtual, medical, health, and education services. This type of care incorporates various technological devices to assist in care.

Here’s how you can save on in-home care cost without compromising the quality of care.

Community Services

These are support services that include adult day care, home care agencies, transportation services, meal programs, and other services. Community services help people who receive care from family members at home. These services allow care recipients to live in a safe, friendly and comfortable community while family caregivers attend to their other responsibilities or to get their much-needed break from caregiving.

Here’s a list of available community care options.

Adult day care centers

It caters to the needs of elderly individuals during the day. Similar child day care centers, these facilities help families care for their loved ones without sacrificing their day-to-day responsibilities.

Home care agencies

Provides either scheduled caregiver visits or assistance with household chores such as meal preparations, housekeeping, or other labor-heavy activities.

Continuing care retirement communities (CCRC)

These are clusters of homes and apartments in which elderly individuals can enjoy independent living while still receiving basic care.

Transportation services

Allows elderly individuals a way to move around the community when they can no longer drive for themselves.

Respite Care

As the name suggests relieves caregivers from providing care temporarily. In these places, other caregivers take over the duties for a short duration of time.

Meal programs

These are by headed by volunteers that ensure seniors have complete meals prepared for them.

Villages

These are run by volunteers in the area to help older the growing older population remain longer in their homes through various neighbor-helping-neighbor systems.

Supportive Housing Programs

These programs developed by The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offer low-cost housing to seniors with low to moderate income. Most of these facilities provide help with meals and carrying out daily living activities such as housekeeping, shopping, and laundry.

Assisted Living Facilities

Allow relative independence among their residents. These facilities provide 24-hour supervision, assistance in personalized care medication management, and homemaker services such as laundry and housekeeping services in a home-like setting. Assisted living facilities also provide social and recreational activities.

Read Next: Average Length of Stay in Assisted Living Facility

Nursing Homes

These are licensed facilities that provide 24-hour supervision and the most comprehensive range of long-term care services for chronically ill residents and to people who cannot receive care at home or in a community. Nursing homes are the most expensive type of long term care facility. However, there is a variety of options to help pay for expensive nursing home costs.

Did you know: The average length of stay in a nursing home is 835 days or more than two years.

Find Long-Term Care Services Within Your Community

Eldercare Locator

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging

Home Health Compare

See the complete list of service locators on our resources page.

Paying for Long-Term Care Facilities

Long-term care facilities can be costly especially if you will need ltc for an extended period. However, there are certain states that offer affordable long term care facilities. In general, Medicare doesn’t pay for long term care with assistance on activities of daily living (ADL) like eating, bathing, and toileting. Medicaid, on the other hand, pays for long-term care but only if you meet the eligibility requirements in the area where you live in. Among the long term care payment options available today, long-term health care insurance is by far the best option in paying for health care and long-term care.

Next Step: Buy Coverage for Long-Term Care Facilities