Goldman is quite right that no elder deserves to be infantilized or humiliated; unfortunately, his sweeping generalities do both. At 72, I have seen relatives die in nursing homes. Some did enjoy the activities there until the very end, but too many others had long been consumed by dementia and needed help to do anything. My plan was to drive off a cliff, but the advent of self-driving cars will probably not let me do this.
When and how are the main issues, and they are different for each of us. In the elderly population, we need to allow some flexibility for each to decide.
Unfortunately, the decision is not between moving to a long-term care facility or dying at home in your sleep. The real decisions are more difficult and nuanced and include considering the extent of your life savings, the possible assistance of family members, and best estimates of your future care needs.
Ideally, discussions and decisions should begin long before a person might need daily assistance. To the editor: If an aged parent is ambulatory and not incontinent, he or she might like to move to an assisted-living residence. Or, have them move in with you and hire help. This is a building that houses multiple unrelated people. The building could be independent living apartments, which are great for senior citizens that have similar interests.
Generally speaking, this type of housing is for those who are not dependent on others for their care. Their health status is also pretty good and they do not need a lot of medical care.
Congregate housing is a lot like independent living but the big difference is that meals, transportation and housekeeping are included. The States receive grants from the Congregate Housing Services Program to provide services for elderly who are frail and those who have disabilities.
The program usually includes delivery of 1 meal a day in a group setting 7 days a week and nonmedical support services. These are places that have personal care services, offer meals, assist with bathing, laundry and housekeeping. If you are fully functional and mobile, you would not choose an assisted living home or type of housing.
Nursing homes are facilities that hire trained nurses, doctors, dietitians, and physical therapists for specialized care to senior citizens. The residents are unable to live independently and need help with activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, laundry and housekeeping.
Nursing facilities may be short-term or long-term. They may be utilized for acute care and may be intermediate care. The options that seniors have to live are many. Each of them has its own definition, cost, advantages and disadvantages. If you are considering the options for a place to live for yourself or your loved ones, ask these questions:. Adult day care is an example.
This was a day program attached to an assisted living facility. Here are other long-term care type services that serve seniors. Some of these are relatively new. If you are unable to live independently, you may choose to live in a licensed adult home for either a short or long period of time. These homes offer three meals a day, supervision, personal care, and housekeeping. An adult day care operates as a regular day care but not for those who are young.
It opens in the morning and closes in the evening in much the same way as the more well-known child care services. However, it is important to know goals of care in a nursing home and what to expect during a stay at a nursing home. Nursing homes are not hospitals, and you may not get the same intensity of care in terms of testing, evaluations by physicians, nurse practitioners or other team members.
Also, nursing homes do not have in-house pharmacies as well as diagnostics such as laboratory services, radiology services in their facility.
They mostly contract with programs in the community for these services. Care is tailored to what is needed based on state of health and skilled care needs. Family members can also try to visit as many homes as possible to get a sense of the overall feeling and quality of care.
Using a checklist can help you evaluate quality, the range of services, convenience, and costs. Your visit may last an hour or two so that you can meet and talk with the admissions officers, nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, and social workers. Remember that no nursing home is perfect, and all will likely be very different from a person's current living situation.
Do the administrators and medical professionals have special training in geriatrics or long-term care? Is vaccination against influenza required for all staff members? If the vaccination is not required, what percent of staff members get the influenza vaccine? Who will be the physician or nurse practitioner following the resident, and how accessible are they? What is the food like? Look at a sample menu and ask to see a planned weekly menu to observe variations throughout the week.
For example, CMS reports the percent of residents who:. Nursing Homes. Who Lives in Nursing Homes? The Most Common Reason for Living in a Nursing Home Some type of disability when it comes to performing the activities of daily living ADLs is the most common reason that older people live in nursing homes.
Length of Stay Length of stay varies greatly in nursing homes. Risk Factors for Admission There are several risk factors for admission to a nursing home: Age. The chance of being admitted to a nursing home increases with age. Low income. Poor family support , especially in cases where the older adult lacks a spouse or children. Low social activity. Functional or mental difficulties.
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