Nursing Home Placement
Make sure your loved one has the best experience possible.
Before deciding on a place for your loved one, be sure to tour as many as possible and speak with the staff at each facility. Know the difference in Assisted Living, Nursing Home, Rehab, and Respite.
Look to see if most residents are in their rooms or if they are out participating in an activity or just socializing. Also make sure that an empty room doesn’t mean that the resident is just parked in front of a TV. Smells and sounds are also important. Bowel movements happen, but it should not be a dominate smell in the entire facility. Friendly sounds are also a positive thing. If the residents are talking, you hear birds chirping, or there is calming music in the background, all things you would enjoy hearing. Constant annoying sounds can affect a person’s mood and eventually their demeanor.
Once you have decided on a facility, be sure to visit your loved one frequently during the initial transition time. Ask your loved one questions like: Are you comfortable? Is there any worries or concerns? Do you feel safe? Do you feel respected? If you need help and use the call button, how long does it take someone to respond? Have you met any of the other residents? Do you like the staff? Is there any one particular person you like?
There are questions that you should ask the staff also.
The first few weeks, there are a few questions you should be asking the staff also. Do you see any signs or symptoms of depression in my loved one? Is he/she making the transition smoothly? What is his/her daily routine? Share personality quirks, interests, and preferences with your loved ones caregivers and nurses so that they have a better understanding of them.
It is important for you to know the best times to call the facility for general updates and who the contact(s) should be. But don’t be afraid to call at any time to check on your loved one. Make sure the facility has multiple numbers to reach you in an emergency.
In the end you should have a staff that is caring and professional and a facility that is comfortable, homey, and is the start of something new for your loved one. This is the time for them to find new hobbies that they may not have had access to at home. Meet new friends. Make the transition as positive as possible.
About Cleansing Water, Inc.
Cleansing Water, Inc. is a Warrenton, Virginia home health care agency offering professional geriatric care and serving seniors, individuals recovering from surgery, individuals with long-term disabilities, and other clients throughout Fauquier, Culpeper, Gainesville, Haymarket, Middleburg, Prince William, Rappahannock and other Piedmont Virginia communities. We provide in-home companions, certified nursing assistants, and geriatric care managers to assist with the tasks of daily living, monitor health and medications, and ensure clients are well cared for, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
For more information about Cleansing Water’s short-term and long-term home health care services, Call (540) 341-0212 or our toll-free number, (866) 294-4665, to schedule a consultation and discuss your geriatric care and home health care options. You can also visit CleansingWater.com for more information.