While doing long-term care planning for an elderly loved one, you may find yourself surprised by the cost of a nursing home. Even an assisted living center can be incredibly expensive. You know that you need to plan for these costs, but you may also be trying to look for ways to reduce them.
One option that people sometimes consider is using a home health aide. Rather than having your elderly loved one live at a center where support staff is always present, the health aide just comes to the house and assists them in the ways that they need on a daily basis.
This doesn’t necessarily work for everyone, as someone who needs more extensive care may not be able to live alone, but it is a way to get additional assistance for someone without moving them out of the house. But is it cheaper?
The cost can still be significant
It’s true that in-home healthcare can be a bit cheaper than living in a nursing home, but don’t think of this as a budget way to get care for your parents. It can still be very expensive and does require planning in advance.
For example, some studies have found that the average monthly cost for those in New Jersey is $5,529. This works out to more than $66,000 annually.
It’s also worth noting that this type of care is especially expensive in New Jersey itself. The average for the entire United States is $4,957 per month. New Jersey costs about $600 per month more, making it one of the more expensive states in the union. It is even more expensive than New York, with an average of $5,339 a month.
Making the plan
What you can see is that, no matter what care options you choose, the expenses are going to add up. Make sure you know how to plan in advance and get everything ready for your loved one.
