Understanding Adult Foster Care 

March 1, 2021 0 Comment Category: Assisted Living

Adult foster care is any care that is offered to an adult in a home-based environment. Ordinarily, this type of care is provided to adults with intellectual or developmental impairments. These disabilities can affect their ability to lead a normal life. 

Adult foster care usually offers assistance with activities that are a part and parcel of daily living. A few examples include the following ones listed below:

• Meal preparation 
• Cleaning and laundry 
• Personal grooming 
• Dressing 
• Climbing stairs and walking 
• Medication management 

 

Adult foster care is also called small group assisted living, domiciliary care, adult family care, etc. Usually, this type of care is provided in homes with less than six residents, whereas the assisted living homes offer care to large groups. Adult foster care can also ensure the personal safety of the seniors. 

How Does Adult Foster Care Work? 

Adult foster care provides varying levels of care and this depends on the need of the residents. Therefore this type of care can vary from round-the-clock care to daily drop-ins for help with some tasks. In foster care setups, residents will usually have their quarters with easy access to assistance when they need it. 

The availability of staff is the biggest difference between assisted living facilities and adult foster care. Staff will be available and awake round the clock in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Adult foster care homes will also have staff available but they might not be necessarily awake round the clock. This is because the needs of residents in adult foster care will not be much complex when compared to the needs of residents in skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities. 

A majority of the states in the country will ask for a resident agreement to be signed before the adult actually relocates to the respective adult foster care homes. This agreement will cover things like charges, responsibilities of the concerned parties, rights of the residents, and provisions for the termination of the agreement. The resident agreement will also provide the details of care aspects like what is included in the fees and what is extra. 

Costs Of Adult Foster Care 

Similar to all the eldercare facilities, the cost of adult foster care can vary depending on the level of care that you need and the area of your residence. Adult foster care can be much less expensive than nursing home care and slightly less expensive than assisted living facilities. This is mainly because the residents of adult foster care need low levels of care when compared to the residents of the other facilities. The Medicare or Medicaid options of your state can help put off some of the costs that are associated with adult foster care. You can get in touch with a local representative to get help in finding out the options that are available to your senior loved one. 

Advantages Of Adult Foster Care 

The benefits of adult foster care include granting the resident the essential freedom, without compromising on the safety or the quality of care offered. Besides, most adult foster care homes offer a more personal level of care, as they are small in size. Adult foster care services are also less expensive than other care options like assisted living facilities and skilled nursing homes. 

If your senior loved one is unable to live independently in their home and needs help with activities like meal preparation, bathing, cleaning, etc, but does not require medical or nursing care, then adult foster care can be a feasible solution. Adult foster care can also allow your loved one to enjoy an independent lifestyle without the need to compromise safety and well-being.