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Choosing the Right Nursing Home |
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Choosing a good nursing home is vitalPutting a loved one in a nursing home can be a very difficult decision. Many people, after making the decision, are faced with questions such as “Will my loved one be safe” and “Can I trust strangers to care for my loved one?” These questions are extremely valid and should be answered in some capacity before choosing the right nursing home for an elderly parent or other incapacitated, dependent relative.
In 1996 the first National Elder Abuse Incidence Study estimated that approximately 551,011 people over the age of sixty suffered from some form of abuse or neglect. Of those victims, 37% were in the care of a physician, health care professional, and/or health care service. According to the Administration on Aging, four times the amount of abuse and neglect incidences were not reported to adult protective agencies, which suggests that there is a lot more elderly abuse occurring in the hands of health care professionals.
With statistics such as the proceeding, deciding on the best nursing home for a loved one becomes a serious discourse. What should a person look for when choosing a suitable nursing home for their loved one? The following are suggestions for choosing the right nursing home:
• Check for safety. Question the facility director on safety concerns, such as stairway doors being lock to prevent falls and other serious accidents, and if there is a safety plan in place.
• Appropriate medical care. Exercising and toileting should be scheduled and put at a priority for the residences. Make sure that your loved one will get the proper rehabilitation sessions if needed. When you visit a facility, observe the other residences. Do any residences have bedsores? If there are cases of bedsores, this should be a red flag that the facility may be negligent and should raise some concern.
• Helpful staff. Nursing home employees, even if understaffed, should interact with the nursing home residences, and all interactions should be helpful. Remember to interview all of the staff and a handful of residences if possible (if you are not allowed to speak to other residences, that maybe cause for some concern).
• Safe, clean environment. A proper nursing home should be clean and free of unpleasant odors. Spills should be cleaned up immediately to avoid falls.
• Activities. Nursing home residences should have daily scheduled activities, such as arts and crafts and physical exercise. In addition, residences should be encouraged to participate in a variety of these activities.
• Nutrition. Your loved one should be fed properly and regularly. Do the other residences look healthy? Malnutrition is a serious form of abuse and many times, it leads to death in nursing homes. Question the facility on eating schedules and ask for meal plans if available.
Most of the time, people choose a nursing home based upon trust, since you can never be with your elderly loved one 24-hours a day to know for sure how they will be treated. However, using the above suggestions as guidelines can give you a better idea of how life might be like for your loved one once you are gone.
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