How to know when a nursing home is appropriate

When care at home becomes difficult By Linda Kaplan When a caregiver can no longer meet the demands of providing the amount of care required for their loved one, a nursing home may be the right choice. Deciding to place a loved one in a nursing home should be based on whether he or she is: suffering from a chronic disability; experiencing deteriorating mental and physical capacities; living alone or lacking someone who can continue to take care of them; spending more time in and out of hospitals; having more difficulty with the activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, using the toilet, eating or transferring from bed to chair. There are many benefits that nursing home care can provide an individual, both in the early and late stages of an illness. In the early stage of illness, a nursing home resident can meet other people with the same circumstances and be able to make new friends who understand the person's condition. Family and friends can continue to visit, knowing that their loved one is being provided for in their activities of daily living by a licensed group of professionals. Nursing home patients have an opportunity to form relationships with nursing home staff, instead of relying on strangers for their personal needs. As their illnesses progress, the nursing home resident has people constantly around them who care about them and who are able to visit them daily. Nursing homes today offer a variety of services and serve their populations with many different professionals, including RNs, LPNs, certified nurses' aides, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, primary care physicians and recreation therapists. The nursing home resident gets round-the-clock care, and the former caregiver can feel relief, knowing their loved one is getting quality care. Linda Kaplan is the Admissions and Marketing Director for the Odd Fellows Home, 104 Randolph Road, Worcester, Mass. 01606. For more information, call 508-853-6687.