4 Crucial Things To Do When a Loved One Moves to a Nursing Home

The decision to place a loved one in a nursing home is one of life’s most difficult moments and will often involve a fair amount soul-searching and differing opinions.

Having made that step, it is very important that you don’t simply sit back and relax, thinking that you have done the right thing for your loved one. Mom or Dad may be happy in their new environment but sadly there are many examples where a lawyer has been called into action as a result of issues that have come to light with a particular nursing home or the treatment being administered.

Here is a look at some of the crucial things that you should be doing after you have placed your loved one in the hands of caregivers at a nursing home.

1. Proactive approach

Your work is not done the moment that Mom or Dad have gone into care. The nursing home may well be taking care of your loved one now but you still need to take a proactive approach to their continued wellbeing and health.

You need to make sure that they are actually receiving the level of care that you were promised from the outset and you should always take the view that with any nursing home, the resident’s needs should actually be met by the facility rather as opposed to the patient having to meet the nursing home’s needs.

2. Shortly after settling in

Make sure that you ask your loved one directly about their welfare and experience to date, rather than simply relying on what the caregivers are telling you.

Ask your loved one whether they are comfortable in their new surroundings and if there is anything in particular that is worrying them. Check whether they feel safe and respected in their new environment and whether someone responds quickly when they press their call button.

Also try to establish if your loved one has already made friends with some of the other residents and ask if they like the nursing home staff in general and whether they like one of the caregivers in particular.

3. Making connections

Getting an affirmative response to some of these crucial questions will not only help you to confirm whether your loved is getting the help and treatment you were promised, but it also helps assure you that they are making good connections with those around them in their new surroundings.

Developing a good level of trust with the caregivers and bonding with some other residents will help to ensure that they take any required medication more willingly and if behavioral issues that can often be associated with dementia are a problem, having a strong relationship with at least one main caregiver will definitely help.

4. Warning signs

Adjusting to a new way of life and environment can take any of us a period of time to come to terms with and it is perfectly normal for the first few days or weeks to be a little challenging for everyone.

If your loved remains unsettled and lethargic and is not being outwardly sociable to the caregivers or other residents, you need to monitor this situation carefully and raise the question of depression if there is no improvement after the initial settling in period.

You want your loved one to be as a happy and comfortable as possible in their new surroundings and to be well cared for at all times. Never stop asking questions or raising any legitimate concerns that you have, so that you can be sure that the person you love and care for is being well looked after.

– See more at: https://seniorcare2017.wpengine.com/blog_information/14-10-15/4_Crucial_Things_To_Do_When_a_Loved_One_Moves_to_a_Nursing_Home.aspx#sthash.kKIB2886.dpuf

nursing homenursing home carenursing homes