When the word “nursing home” appears on the family agenda, both children and the elderly themselves understand that it represents a major change in a family. When the change comes, everyone may need time to digest and think about it.
So, how to choose a suitable nursing home?
What are the types of pension services?
Domestic old-age care services are mainly divided into home care, community care and institutional care.
- Home care refers to the provision of domestic service, home renovation, peace clock and other service resources, To enable the elderly to continue to enjoy their old age life at home. Community old-age care refers to the community where the elderly themselves can obtain community dining hall, family comprehensive service center, elderly service center, day care center and other service resources to enjoy the old age life. Institutional old-age care refers to the elderly can enjoy their old age under the care of nursing homes, elderly apartments and other institutions.
At present, all regions are vigorously developing home care and community care to reduce the pressure of institutional care.
What factors should be considered when choosing a nursing home?
1. Physical condition of the elderly
An elderly person with strong mobility and cognitive impairment must have different service needs for nursing homes from an elderly person who needs to stay in bed for a long time but has clear thinking.
Therefore, it is very important to know the physical condition of the elderly before choosing a nursing home.
Elderly people with cognitive impairment should first understand the understanding and importance of nursing home staff on the disease when choosing nursing homes. For example, whether nursing staff have received relevant training and have a certain understanding of cognitive impairment, so that the elderly can receive more humane and comprehensive care.
Elderly people suffering from chronic diseases may need to know the nursing home’s understanding of the disease and the corresponding services for the disease, such as diabetes, gout, hypertension and other diseases, and need to pay attention to whether the nursing home has provided corresponding catering, whether there is a mechanism to assist in drug management and remind people to take drugs.
Elderly people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases should pay attention to the geographical location of nursing homes and try to choose nursing homes far away from urban industrial areas. As well as asking about the frequency of bed sheets changing in nursing homes.
Elderly people with kidney disease and heart disease need to consider the convenience of transportation for medical treatment, as well as the emergency measures of hospital call devices and nursing homes in case of emergency.
However, stroke sequelae or severe arthritis can lead to mobility difficulties. It is necessary to focus on understanding whether barrier-free facilities and auxiliary facilities in nursing homes are complete, and it is better to have professional rehabilitation and physical therapy services.
For other special physical conditions, such as urinary incontinence, cataract, deafness, etc., it is suggested that it is best to know whether there are specific services in the residential quarters to prevent the elderly from being isolated due to inferiority or communication difficulties.
2. Economic situation
In the process of choosing nursing homes, the family’s economic ability is also an important consideration. Although it is definitely not that the more expensive the nursing homes are, the better, but the more nursing homes the family with higher budget can choose.
Why do you want to stay in a nursing home?
It is a very important step to think clearly why one needs to stay in a nursing home. It is related to whether one needs to use the resources of the institution for the aged and which services need to be focused on when choosing. Generally, one needs to consider staying in a nursing home mainly for the following reasons. Welcome to take your seat accordingly.
Life is semi-self-care, and it is dangerous to live alone at home: mainly including some elderly people who live alone, are both old, or whose children cannot be cared for by them.
In this case, the first consideration is whether the resources for the aged at home and in the community have been utilized. Domestic service, safety clock, day care and other services can meet the needs of some elderly people, relieve the pressure of care, and enable the elderly to continue to live in a familiar environment for the time being.
It is suggested that the elderly or their families in this situation can take the initiative to contact your neighborhood committee, street or family integrated service center (the allocation varies from region to region) to seek relevant resources. If the above resources cannot meet the care needs, they can consider moving into nursing homes again.
Due to physical diseases, the family is unable to take care of them: for example, the elderly suffering from moderate to severe cognitive impairment (Alzheimer’s disease) who need care, or the elderly suffering from long-term bed rest due to physical diseases who need special care, need to be admitted to nursing homes because the family does not have relevant personnel and equipment.
Family Needs: It is a group of people who have to do it, but it cannot be denied that the fact exists. Elderly people with this kind of needs can consider apartments for the elderly if they have the conditions. When choosing homes, they can pay attention to the surrounding environment and see if the transportation is convenient.
The above three types of needs are not completely separated. It is possible that a family has multiple reasons for using institutions to provide for the aged at the same time, but it is hoped that the needs and the direction of choice can be clearly defined according to its own situation.
Mistakes in Choosing Nursing Homes
Myth 1. Public nursing homes are better
In fact, it is most important to meet the actual needs.
The management system of public nursing homes is relatively perfect and the evaluation is relatively rigorous, so the service of nursing homes can be said to have certain quality assurance. Personally, I think public nursing homes can be used as a [guaranteed choice]. When no better nursing homes are found, it is at least not wrong to choose public nursing homes.
But also as noted above, The choice of nursing homes also depends on the needs of the elderly themselves, It is important to find a suitable nursing home. In order to attract the elderly, there are also many private nursing homes that have made their own characteristics, emphasizing more humanistic care, setting up a special area for cognitive impairment, or affiliated to a famous hospital, etc. If these happen to be the needs of an elderly person, private nursing homes are a better choice for him.
Myth 2. Nursing homes are very closed and not free.
Not all of them.
The hospital belongs to the public space, in order not to influence each other, the time for meals, bedtime and activities will be relatively fixed, which is really not as free as at home. At the same time, in order to ensure the safety of the elderly in the hospital, the general hospital will be semi-closed management. The elderly need to leave the nursing home if they need to ask for leave from the hospital or inform the relevant personnel.
In fact, in a collective living environment, it is beneficial for everyone to have some time rules to abide by together. However, if the elderly have special needs for dining or bedtime for some reasons, they can also ask before moving in to see if the residential care institution can make a personalized response.
In addition, regarding the daily access of the elderly to nursing homes, Due to different nursing homes, Even the regulations are different in different parks of the same nursing home. For the elderly with different risks and crises, Some need to ask for leave, while some stipulate the time to go out, and some need relatives to sign and agree. Therefore, it is also suggested to know the relevant regulations from the hospital before moving in. According to the regulations, the elderly can negotiate with their families to reach an agreement so as not to cause misunderstanding or psychological pressure.
Finally remind everyone, some nursing home medical department affiliated to the hospital, in the hospital for medical treatment, prescribing medicine can also enjoy medical insurance, can avoid the trouble of going out for medical treatment. You can also consult when choosing a hospital.
If you need to know more about the specific steps for choosing a nursing home, please continue to read the following: How to Choose a Suitable Nursing Home.