Alternatives to a Nursing Home at Age 83
If you are 83 and cannot safely live completely alone, a nursing home is not your only option. The best choice depends on how much help you need with bathing, dressing, meals, medications, walking, toileting, and emergencies.
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National Institute on Aging
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1. Stay in your own home with help
This can work surprisingly well if your needs are moderate. A combination of family, friends, and paid caregivers can provide:
Help with bathing, dressing and toileting
Meal preparation
Medication reminders
Housekeeping and laundry
Transportation
Companionship
Nursing or therapy when medically necessary
Home modifications—grab bars, better lighting, removing loose rugs, a walk-in shower, stair rails, and an emergency alert system—can make staying home considerably safer.
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National Institute on Aging
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2. Have a family member live with you
If a trusted relative is available, shared living can provide supervision and companionship without moving into a facility. Paid help can be added for tasks the family cannot manage.
3. Adult day care
You live at home but spend several hours during the day at a supervised center. These programs may provide meals, activities, exercise, personal care, transportation, and basic health services, while giving family caregivers time to work or rest.
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National Institute on Aging
4. Assisted living
This is a residential option for someone who needs help with everyday activities but doesn’t require the level of medical/nursing care provided by a nursing home. It can provide meals, supervision, activities, medication assistance and personal care.
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National Institute on Aging
5. Smaller residential care homes
Depending on where you live, there may be small group homes or family-style residential care homes with only a few older residents. They can feel more like a home than a large nursing facility while still providing supervision.
6. A combination of services
You don’t necessarily have to choose one solution. For example:
Your home + caregiver in the morning + family visit in the evening + adult day program several days a week + emergency alert system
can sometimes provide enough support to avoid institutional care.
7. PACE or similar community programs
In the United States, PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) can help some people who need nursing-home-level care remain in the community. It can coordinate medical care, home care, adult day services, transportation, therapy and other support. Availability is limited to particular locations.
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Medicare
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How to decide whether staying home is safe
A useful test is to look honestly at these questions:
Can you get up from a chair and walk safely?
Can you use the bathroom without assistance?
Can you shower without falling?
Can you prepare and eat meals?
Can you take medications correctly?
Can you recognize an emergency and call for help?
Have you fallen recently?
Do you become confused or lost?
Can someone reliably check on you every day?
If several answers are no, you may need more than occasional help.
A doctor, geriatrician, occupational therapist, or social worker can assess your abilities and help design a care plan rather than automatically recommending a nursing home.
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National Institute on Aging
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One particularly important point
If you are asking because you personally are 83 and beginning to have difficulty living alone, don’t wait until there is a serious fall or medical emergency. Start planning while you can still make the decisions yourself. The goal isn’t simply to avoid a nursing home—the goal is to find the safest arrangement that gives you as much independence and dignity as possible.
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National Institute on Aging
If you tell me what country you live in and what kind of help you need (for example, bathing, cooking, walking, medications, or being alone at night), I can outline the most realistic alternatives and how they are usually paid for.
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