Nursing Homes: Make the Right Choice
The first question you may want to start thinking about is when should you actually start thinking about the possibility of a nursing home. Forget such things as age as a determinant. Even though we may think of nursing homes as elderly resting places, you must take into account that elderly can mean a lot of things. For instance, is a 60 year old elderly? And is a 90 year old who drives and otherwise takes care of herself to be considered elderly as it relates to a nursing home? When thinking about placement in a nursing home, consider not only age, but also physical functionality: things such as retention of control over bodily functions, the ability to perform the basic activities that makes up daily life, being able to clean and cook for oneself.
Before selecting a nursing home, do the research. And do not, under any circumstances, stop your research at the web site run by the home. In fact, that should be your last point of interest. Ask health care professionals, friends, family members, anyone at all not economically connected with the nursing. Don’t disavow any good news or bad news, but also don’t take any of it at face value. In addition, check with local and state health care and social services. If necessary, even hire one of those internet investigators who will do all the legwork required to get you the skinny on all court and legal related cases the nursing home may have been involved in. A really good one will even be able to uncover the cases that the nursing home had hushed up. One word of advice: Avoid watching any John Stossel reports on 20/20; the guy has devolved into a corporate shill.
When looking for a reliable nursing home, take these factors into consideration. Naturally, or at least hopefully, you’ll want to locate a local nursing home. You want to be close by your loved ones so visiting doesn’t become a chore. Convenience should never trump high quality care, but if you can find a nursing home that provides dependable attention and is nearby, all the better. In addition, also try to locate a nursing home that doesn’t, well, look like a nursing home. The environment of the place can be incredibly important in helping the elderly in the early phase of adjusting. In particular, try to find a place where the interior door to the patient’s room doesn’t look like the door to a hospital room. Avoid nursing homes with those little square windows in the door.
Check to make sure there is a full time staff on the premises. Also make sure there is a physician with a background in geriatric care who makes regular visits. Nobody likes to be surprised by a new face every time they’re told the doctor is coming, and this is especially true of the elderly. The world is changing too fast as it is for people who had the exact same kind of phone as their neighbor for most of their lives and the last thing these people need is to constantly wonder if they are going to see a different doctor every week. As for the staff itself, do a quick estimate or, if possible, an actual bed count while there. The full time staff should be equal to at least 40% of number of beds.
When checking out the actual physical premises, also take notice of the residents already there. If these patients remind you of nothing so much as the more catatonic extras in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, then turn away and run. Nothing speaks better of a nursing home than the presence of active patients who are being treated as actual human beings by the staff. Try to get there in the late morning. If you notice that an especially large number of residents are still in their bedclothes, take that as a sign that the patients are being actively engaged in activities.
Also notice the little things that could potentially save your loved one’s bones or life. Like, for instance, are there handrails down the hallway. Are there smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, or sprinklers?
Check out the eating area. Is it clean, spacious and well-lit? Is everybody eating the same thing, or does it appear that individual diet requirements are being met. Go into one of the bedrooms and see if there is ample opportunity to personalize it. Are patients allowed to decorate with photographs, personal property, books, videos, etc?
Does the nursing home provide opportunities for intellectual stimulation? Does it subscribe to magazines and newspapers? Does it have a library? What about classes where residents can learn new things or workshops where they can continue working on their hobbies. An unstimulated mind will atrophy just like unused muscles. If your loved one does nothing but sit around all day watching TV, you might as well as keep them locked up in a room at home. All the best medical attention in the world isn’t going to be of any help.
All of these factors should be investigated well before you need them.
