Top Ten Nursing Home Niceties

Living in a Nursing Home is the Right Choice for Some People Including Those with Dementia

As an author and a healthcare professional at a suburban nursing home, I see first hand the many good things a nursing home has to offer. There are so many rules and regulations that have to be followed. They are inspected by the department of health at least once a year and any time there is a complaint against them. Anyone can view the results of inspections(surveys) online. Plus the latest survey results must be posted at the facility in plain sight.

Obviously some homes are better than others. Thus a family considering placement of a loved one must do their homework, and visit a number of facilities in the area. Also contacting an elder attorney, to get the finances in order, is highly recommended.

Here are the top ten nursing home niceties.

10. Of course, each resident gets custodial care 24 hours a day. As part of this, medications for each resident are reviewed in a timely fashion. And changes, in a persons' condition, are investigated.

9. The residents are provided with a bed(probably electric), dresser, mirror, chair, and night table as part of their room and board. Residents are encouraged to bring in personal items such as: a television, artwork, mementos, or family photos,

8. The facility is kept clean by a housekeeping staff, and all laundry (including personal laundry) is cleaned at no additional cost. There is a maintenance staff to make sure things work properly.

7. The food served must meet certain standards and has to be nutritionally sound. Many choices are offered to the finicky eater. Often family members can join their loved one for a meal at no additional cost.

6. Many religious services are held right in the facility. Most facilities offer a Catholic Mass, and Rosary, a Protestant service, and perhaps even a Friday evening and Saturday morning Sabbath service at least once a month. However, a member of the clergy can be contacted at any time

5. Each resident is screened for additional occupational, physical, and speech therapy periodically. These services are provided to those in need, for no additional cost, to help maintain their highest level of physical and mental functioning.