What It Means to Live in a Nursing Home in 2022

Among the most complex decisions, an adult has to make involves transitioning from independent living at home to checking into an assisted living facility. One gets to this point when it becomes difficult to carry out activities of daily living on their own or are unsafe to chronic health conditions or aging. Much of the stress of moving into a senior healthcare facility emanates from the fear of change and loss of independence.

When you move into a senior healthcare facility, you will enjoy the following benefits.

Support with Activities of Daily Living
One of the reasons for enrolling a senior adult in a nursing home is difficulty completing basic tasks such as administering medications, dressing, bathing, preparing simple meals, and running errands. Senior healthcare facilities offer assistance with these tasks, which relieve them of burdens that bring unnecessary stress.

Balanced Stimulation
When an older adult lives at home alone, lack of physical and cognitive stimulation and boredom can negatively affect their general health. On the other hand, senior citizens who live with their adult children and grandchildren can have excess stimulation, which negatively affects them. While in a nursing facility, their capabilities are assessed and the environment adjusted to provide the correct amount of stimuli for optimal physical and mental health. Additionally, memory care is provided as part of these senior communities.


Dynamic Socialization
Besides boredom, another essential emotional burden of independent living is loneliness. One may feel lonely even amid their family as seniors are often excluded from frequent socialization with their age mates. Senior healthcare facilities are full of fun and organized activities to enhance a dynamic social network. When they participate in such activities, seniors keep off depression and have other general health benefits.

Receive Housekeeping Services
When someone lives in a nursing home, it’s like they are in a hotel. All housekeeping services such as laundry services and cleaning duties are taken care of by the nursing facility staff. This leaves seniors sufficient time for relaxation, social experiences, and other helpful activities.

Preparation of Meals
Between occasional forgetfulness, weakened eyesight, and arthritis, preparing meals can be a challenge and sometimes a dangerous activity for seniors. It can also be a challenge to ensure that the meal is healthy. Due to this, senior healthcare facilities provide snacks and meals throughout the day and employ dietitians to ensure that residents eat healthy and nutritious meals. Sometimes, the meals are specially prepared for individual needs, especially for those seniors with medical conditions that require a special diet.

Safe Environment
When an older adult lives alone, their family may try to make the home safe by installing minor modifications. Senior healthcare facilities provide a safe environment for seniors with emergency call boxes, grab bars, functional smoke detectors, and many other safety tools. They also have round-the-clock supervision that assists in preventing financial abuse, injuries, and fraud which seniors can experience while living alone.

Resident Health Care
Senior healthcare facilities provide resident health care services that include 24-hour monitoring services. This gives peace of mind to residents and their families. Although some seniors retain their regular off-site doctors, facility staff help with emergency medical treatment, administration of prescriptions, and general health advice when required.

Expert Health Care
Seniors living with chronic health conditions will experience a level of care at senior healthcare facilities beyond what they can get while living with family or alone. Apart from providing medical care for people with life-long conditions such as diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s, many facilities also offer speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy to enhance general wellbeing and high quality of life.

Access to Resources
Nursing home staff will assist your loved one in handling modern technology. They may help them make phone calls or send emails. The facility has someone on standby to provide assistance and help whenever required.

Are there age restrictions to living in a nursing home?
There is no age restriction for one to live in a nursing home. The facility is suitable for anyone who requires supervision, assistance with daily living activities, and medical care. However, it is common to see older adults living in nursing homes. Almost all residents in a nursing home are at least 65 years old.

How long can one stay in a nursing home?
The duration a resident stays in a nursing home depends on individual needs and the reasons for going there in the first place. For instance, 25 percent of all residents remain for less than three months. These residents typically require rehabilitation or hospice care following a hospital stay or surgery.

Others may stay longer, with more than half of nursing home residents remaining for at least a year. Those who stay longer usually face a long recovery or need continuous support and supervision.

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