Choosing long-term care

Dr. Tyra Oldham. Photo provided As a caregiver the responsibility of placing a loved one into a facility is a major decision not to be taken lightly. The decision to place a loved one into care has an emotional and economic impact. What the caregiver has to determine is your parent struggling to live alone in their home? The family or agencies that support your loved one may notice significant memory challenges, or their inability to manage the day-to-day creating a concern about their safety and care living at home. Now the emotion and family conversation occur about what and how do we support mom, dad, and/or spouse? The moment the need for additional care becomes the moment a series of questions need to be addressed by family while getting outside support to manage the best decision possible. The questions are finding a long-term care home for your loved one. Where do you begin? The questions are complicated especially for Black and Hispanic families who do not typically place their family in care. “Health care utilization and, in particular, nursing home use varies by race and ethnicity. Blacks and Hispanics are less likely than Whites to use nursing home care...