It’s never easy making the decision to put your loved one in a senior care facility. It’s also not easy to choose one that you feel would meet your loved one’s needs the way that you would. Here are three considerations to help you fine-tune your decision.
Facility Culture
Choosing a senior facility isn’t only about the healthcare providers. You must keep in mind that this is a place your loved one will be spending the rest of their life in. It needs to be a place where the culture of the facility will keep your loved one happy. Look around at the residents, at the activities, and at the overall atmosphere and really think about how happy your loved one will be there. This is often a matter of finding a center that celebrates things your loved one is passionate about. Does it offer a garden, nature walks and bird watching or dance lessons and museum tours?
Health Protocols
It’s hard to think about, but seniors get sick. The facility should have good health protocols in place and the entire staff should be familiar with them. Make sure you know which protocols are required and which ones are optional. For example, nursing homes are required to have infectious disease control systems in place. When you visit a center, be sure to ask the employees about their preventative health practices. Ask some of the residents if these policies are followed.
Dining Area and Food
The dining area can tell you a lot about the facilities. Pay attention to the furniture. Is it old and worn? Does the floor have food or crumbs on it? Do the lights look too dim or bright or are bulbs missing? The dining room should look taken care of. It should be inviting. Your answer to all those questions should be no.
Check out mealtime. Does the food look good? Would you eat it? Do the residents like it? Are they providing specialized diets for those that need it? If your answer is no to any of these questions, that’s a red flag.
These three tips are great ways to help you weed out senior care facilities that may not be the best choice for your loved one. It’s already hard enough facing the fact that you have to put your loved one in a nursing home. Choosing one should feel as bad. By using all these tips, you’ll be able to find one that will take care of your loved one just as well as you would.
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