Bringing
CARE HOME
Until recently, a frail care facility was considered one
of the most important aspects of a retirement estate.
But the reality is that a good majority of residents who live by, and family can come and go as they please, as opposed to
on the estate never need to use the offerings of the frail care the structured visits permitted at frail care units.
centre, rendering them more of a-nice-to-know-you-have-it
kind of thing than a practical necessity.
Although home-based care is fairly new in South Africa,
medical aids are beginning to see the value of bringing care
Demand for frail care is waning around the world. Instead,
home care offerings are becoming more commonplace,
to the home. Medical insurers like Discovery, for example,
already offer a home care category in some instances.
especially in developed countries like the USA, UK
and on the European continent.
There is a common misconception that frail care facilities offer
the same services as hospitals, but that is not true. Most frail
The biggest bonus of a home care model care facilities on retirement estates do not have permanent
is that it allows personalised high care doctors, for example, so the staff can perform only a limited set
to take place in the comfort of one’s of procedures, and will need to transfer patients to hospital for
own home. From a psychological
operations or other more complex treatments.
perspective, and given the choice,
it is far more appealing to be In some older retirement villages, the sunk investment in the
in your own bed and use your frail care centre makes home care financially challenging, but
own bathroom when you are not it can be very cost-effective if planned for at the outset. At
feeling well, than having to stay Shoreline Sibaya, the developers chose to build a much smaller
in an impersonal institutionalised frail care centre th an is usually deemed acceptable for an
environment. A home care model can estate of its size, which has enabled them to invest the balance
fast-track recovery times too, as patients in the home care model. The six-bed sick bay on the ground
enjoy having everyday familiarities close floor of the healthcare centre is available for residents who
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