Assisted Living Vs. At-Home Care: Which One Is Safer?

With so many options for additional assistance for your loved ones, like assisted living and at-home care, it can get confusing and difficult to pick the best one for your loved ones in their golden years. Not to worry, we got you and your loved one covered. Read on as we compare how safe is assisted living vs. at-home care.

Preparedness for Emergencies

One key aspect of safety is how prepared your loved ones will be during an unfortunate emergency. And this is particularly important because inadequate preparation for an emergency can be dangerous, and even fatal for your loved ones. So, does an assisted living community or at-home care program prepare your loved ones for emergencies better? According to a recent survey, it was found that approximately 93 percent of those in assisted living felt more prepared for an emergency. However, only a small 40% of those with at-home care felt prepared for an emergency. Essentially, an assisted living community is a much safer option than at-home care for your loved ones in terms of preparedness for an emergency.

Preventing Falls

Did you know that falling can be extremely dangerous, and even fatal for your loved ones? That is why it is crucial to consider if assisted living or at-home care can protect your loved ones from falling even better. In this case, assisted living communities are much safer, where there is an approximate 25 to 40 percent decrease in the rate of falls due to their fall prevention programs. On the other hand, one-third of those in at-home care were found to suffer from a serious fall each year.

Safety and Security

To consider if assisted living or at-home care is safer, it is necessary to consider the factor of safety and security. To be specific, it is not just the physical safety features your loved ones enjoy, but also how safe or secure they feel within an assisted living community or during an at-home care situation. And according to a national poll of those who have loved ones in an assisted living community, the majority are content with the security and safety offered by their community. In fact, an astounding 91 percent of them gave positive responses. On the other hand, the same survey showed that those in an at-home care situation suffered weaker safety and security. In particular, it is about 53 percent more likely for those in an at-home care situation to be robbed or burglarized.

Fire Danger

Another aspect of the safety of your loved ones is a fire danger. For this category, assisted living communities take the win once again, where a minor 0.7 percent of such communities experienced fire danger. On the other hand, data shows that those who lived alone or had in-home care have a terrifying 250 percent probability of dying in a fire.

Nutrition

Another equally important aspect of the safety of your loved ones is their nutrition. Once again, assisted living communities can offer better nutrition than in-home care, and thus, is safer. Due to the excellent and nutritious meals offered by assisted living communities, an overwhelming 77% indicated they eat a lot healthier. On the contrary, nearly one-sixth of those in at-home care struggled with their nutrition.