Family-provided care
Relying on family members and other non-professional caregivers to provide assistance
can reduce or eliminate the immediate monetary costs of long term care, but it demands
a significant investment of time and energy. In addition, many individuals occasionally
or regularly require physical personal care like lifting a patient out of bed or care
that only a trained professional can provide.
Learn more about caregiving.
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Advantages |
Disadvantages
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Family members and friends generally provide assistance without expecting payment,
eliminating many financial concerns.
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You may require care that your loved one is not trained to provide, such as the
care provided by a registered nurse or therapist or care that your loved one is
not physically able to provide like lifting and transferring. |
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The opportunity to help you may strengthen your relationships with family members
or friends.
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Changing demands and responsibilities can create stress, overburden loved ones,
and potentially damage family relationships or the caregivers' health.
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The routine companionship of those closest to you may mitigate the loneliness sometimes
experienced by those in need of care.
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Those that one has the closest relationship with might not be geographically close enough
to help on a regular basis. Professional caregiving services will still likely be needed
to relieve family members at least occasionally.
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