Considering a Nursing Home

The Purpose Of Nursing Home Activities

Aging is one of the painful realities that we cannot escape. All of us will become old and weak. Like our grandparents are already at the twilight of their lives. The sad part here is, some of our elderly people are not being cared for by their immediate families because of personal and financial reasons. That is why, they are recommended to enter in the nursing facility.

A Nursing home is for those people who do not need to be in the hospital but cannot be cared for at home. Most nursing homes have a nursing aide and skilled nurses who are available twenty-four hours a day. Nursing homes are not only for the elderly but also for anyone who requires twenty-four hour care. Most people think of nursing facilities as place that is soul-less, where residents either lie on bed or sit in the rocking chairs endlessly. However, what many people don’t know is that a nursing facility offers a lot of activities to make the lives of their patients colorful and fun. They have daily activities to keep both their bodies and brains active. In fact studies have shown that daily interesting activities contribute to a decline of depression among nursing home residents. It helps to keep their bodies and their spirits alive.

Stimulating regular activities for the nursing residents are vital to keep their mental and physical well-being in good shape. The staff, visiting family and friends can take part cheerfully in the activities that the nursing homes provide.

The Goal of the nursing home is to keep people both happy and healthy as possible, for their both physical and mental aspects. The activities should be varied and be interesting, as well as suited to the different disabilities. They should not only be fun but also a worthwhile activity that can help build a good relationship, develop new skills and keep up their fitness level.

Discerning Nursing Homes

The United States has about 19, 000 nursing homes, and more than 1.5 million of Americans live in them. Most of the homes are owned privately, and others are operated by the government. Some are also operated by profit-driven corporations. Others are sponsored by religious and civic organizations. Different states have laws regulating the operation of nursing homes, and even require them to get license. In order to ensure they follow the law, periodical inspections are conducted.

Three types of nursing homes exist today: skilled, intermediate, and supervised. Each kind offers a particular care for certain groups of patients. In selecting a type of nursing home, there are two main things to include in the decision-making process:

Quality Care
An admirable nursing home is it matches both the medical and psychological needs of their patients with their existing resources.

For instance, not all elderly individuals require the same medical care. A study shows that a lot of relatively healthy people live in nursing homes that have excellent medical facilities. While other patients who need more medical attention live in inadequate medical facilities.

Psychologically Fulfillment
Most elderly people who live in nursing homes are still productive. Some institutions provide activities for such residents. A good nursing home encourages their residents to have hobbies and to participate in various activities and services involving them in the community.

Emotional Impact
Most families agree to put their elderly loved one in nursing homes as a last resort. Sometimes, they do so when the person’s health conditions grow too severe and the family finds it difficult to take care and keep the relative at home. For other old people, who decide for themselves to stay at nursing homes, they regard it as a final step before death.

What is a Nursing Home?

For those who have a family member who needs a special medical care or treatment, you may already know the term nursing home. A nursing home is usually a destination for individuals who don’t really need to stay in a hospital but cannot be treated at home. The majority of nursing homes include nursing aides and skilled healthcare professionals accessible round the clock.

Several nursing homes are set up just like a hospital. Employees deliver health care, along with speech, physical and occupational therapy. There is usually a nurses’ station on every floor. Additional nursing homes act similar to a home. They attempt to have a neighborhood feel. Usually, they do not have a fixed day-to-day schedule, and kitchens may be available to residents. Personnel should build connections with residents.

A few nursing homes have particular care units for those who have really serious memory problems such as Alzheimer’s disease. Many will let couples live with each other. Nursing homes are not only seen for the elderly, but for any individual who requires 24-hour care.

Nursing homes supply nursing care and similar services to those who need nursing, healthcare, treatment or any other special services. These services are licensed by the state and may even be certified to participate in the Medicaid and/or Medicare programs. Certain nursing facilities may also satisfy particular requirements for dementia care.

The most important part of a nursing home other than the quality of the health care services is the feeling of security and belonging. These people don’t need to feel being in a hospital but rather in a home where they can feel the presence of a family.

The Nursing Baccalaureate Program

Nursing is one of the most in demand profession in the country today, and is expected to rise more in the coming years. This makes the profession more appealing; the higher the demand, the better chances of employment. The baccalaureate program offers courses that prepare the student to become a professional nurse.

The program is composed of classes and trainings that best prepare the students to handle medical care, treatment and support to patients. The students will learn the basic nursing care, fundamentals, theories, medicines, terms etc. At some point of the curriculum, the nursing student will be exposed in an actual situation. Wherein they will learn how it the real scenario looks like; this is done to better prepare the student before they graduate. Once the student satisfies the requirements, they will be qualified to take the examination for licensure to practice as a registered nurse.

The objective of the BSN program is to prepare graduates to work as professional nurses in a number of scenarios. Graduates are envisioned as having acquired fundamentals for ongoing professional development. Nurses are expected to be fully equipped once they graduate; there’s no more time to practice once the nurse is on duty. The patient’s recovery and safety depends on how the nurse handles the treatments and medications.

The curriculum is developed to assist the student to develop skills, stimulate intellectual curiosity and also to develop the capability to work with other health workers. The professional nurse is dedicated to the function of maintaining health insurance and ensuring the quality of health care services. The nursing school plays an important role in preparing the nurse to become well-equipped with skills and knowledge needed for efficiency.

Nursing Home Problem

There are many issues regarding the quality of services offered by nursing homes. There are complaints from family members that say their elderly was mistreated or abused by nursing home employees. To get proper care for your beloved, you need to understand how the nursing home system works and how to fix or avoid these problems.

If you have an idea that there is something wrong with their services, it’s best to talk about it with the nursing home employees. Friendly, open approach with the medical staff, nursing staff, the manager and other employees will help prevent issues from becoming serious. When an issue continues, however, chances are that other family members and citizens are also affected.

Communication among family members is so important. The regulatory managing authority of nursing homes allows family members to talk with their elderly member in their own private area. You need to consult your loved one regarding the treatment he or she received within the facility. If you find some issues that you can resolve on your own, you can discuss it with the management. But if it is not possible, you can encourage a consultation with the management, employees and the residents as well as their family members to discuss the issues and how to deal with it. It shouldn’t get into a blaming confrontation. It should be in a democratic and professional way. You are there to resolve issues, not make them worse.

Nursing homes, ideally, should be a comfortable place where residents receive the care they need. They must be their extended home where they get the right treatment and reverence. It is the responsibility of the management to provide proper training and education to their employees, to upgrade their services. Never reduce your respect to the needs your loved one deserves.

A nursing home is a provider of custodial care for older people who can no longer take care of themselves. They differ from other senior housing facilities since they provide a much higher level of medical care. Assistance with feeding, bathing, and dressing are part of the services they offer as well as physical and speech therapy. Some nursing homes are designed to look and feel like home, which makes the mood more at ease and won’t make the elderly feel like a patient.

It may be painful to send a family member to a nursing home, it is still the best option to ensure the safety, health maintenance and as well as practicality. Most nursing homes provide residents with nursing aides and skilled nurses who will who will be on hand 24 hours a day.

So when should you consider sending your family member to a nursing home? Here are some of the things you need to ask yourself before making a decision:

Is your family member can no longer take care of himself? If yes, then it would be risky to leave him alone at home when everybody’s at work or at school. Most of the elderly became forgetful, like wandering and forgot the way back or leave a stove that may lead to a disaster. Bringing him to a nursing home where nurses can provide him basic services will then be an option.

Are there any family members who are available to take care of him? In some situations when the need for a nursing home is just temporary, family members can rotate care or hire a health worker who can work part-time when it is needed.

Are you ready to be separated? It would be hard to send him away when you are used to living with him. But you can visit him anytime at the nursing home whenever you have a free time.

Is the nursing home you know can provide his needs? The senior’s medical needs must be provided and a 24-hour supervision is must. The center must also have programs and conducts activities that will keep the elderly active and healthy.