|
Managing The Stress ~ Making The Decisions ~ Discovering The Meaning |
|
Caregiving |
Solutions To Your Caregiving Situations Throughout Your Caregiving Years |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Each month, we take a closer look at an aspect of your caregiving experience. In April, we take a look at the nursing home decision.) Nursing Home Placement: When Do You Know It’s Time?
"There are nearly 17,000 nursing homes in the United States that currently care for 1.6 million residents--a figure expected to quadruple to 6.6 million residents by 2050." —U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform, Minority Office In this month's special focus, we tackle a topic requested by a reader: How do I know when it’s time for nursing home placement? A tough question with seemingly troubling answers: Today’s nursing home environment can give anyone pause when facing such a difficult decision. I worked in my first nursing home in 1991; I was 28-years-old, not familiar with nursing homes, but hired as an admissions director, responsible for marketing the nursing home to the community and helping families with the placement decision. The nursing home was operated by a large chain. It was also a new building, a beautiful facility in a wonderfully scenic setting (Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the foothills of the Pocono’s). Unfortunately, when I joined the facility, the care in the facility didn’t match the surroundings. But, the company committed to turning the facility around and within a year significant changes (mostly related to management) occurred which greatly improved care. It was tough working in a nursing home: There’s no break; even when you’re not working in the facility, you’re often worried about what’s going on in the facility. Is staff showing up? And, pressure from the corporate suits was intense: I had budget projections I had to meet; if I didn’t, my job was in jeopardy. The pressure from corporate to “fill beds” (and fill them with patients who could pay privately for two years) was relentless. About a year later, I transferred to a second facility (I moved from the East Coast to the Midwest) which had a wonderful reputation for providing quality care. But, the facility struggled to meet its financial goals. I worked hard to increase revenue in the building. I remember the day I had filled all the beds, the first time in the facility’s 30-year plus history. It was a Saturday morning; a daughter, caring for her father who had Alzheimer’s disease, was absolutely wiped out. Desperate for a break, she decided to admit her father for a short-term, two-week stay in our facility so she could get some much-needed sleep (that was her only goal during her break—-to sleep). This Saturday was a big day for the staff; several other office staff came in that day to help me with the admission. Upon settling the father (and daughter) in the Alzheimer’s special care unit, I walked to the front office to celebrate our full building with fellow staff. After a few high fives, I returned to the special care unit to check on our new admission. I couldn’t find him, but I did find his daughter: Standing in the middle of her father’s new home for two-weeks, dissolved in tears. This was probably the worst day of her life. That moment stopped me in my tracks. The nursing home and assisted living industries are businesses, but they are businesses serving the core of the family. It’s easy for corporations (of both profit and non-profit facilities) to look at only the numbers. That Saturday was a reminder to me that numbers can never be more important than the hearts of the people we help. I left the nursing home about 18 months later, in 1994. When I left the nursing home industry, another housing concept was causing quite a ruckus: Assisted living facilities. I toured my first assisted living facility in 1995 in the Chicagoland area. The facility was absolutely beautiful; I wanted to live there. But, as I was touring and asking the admissions director about the facility’s residents (“Who will live here?”, I asked), I couldn’t help but worry a bit: Where we just building nursing homes and calling them a different name, in order to avoid those awful and treacherous nursing home regulations? Assisted living facilities seemed to be for residents who needed some assistance, but I could see the danger: A facility desperate for revenue may keep a resident who really needs the 24-hour care of a nursing home. Where’s the check, I wonder? And, are families really going to understand that their care recipient may not be able to spend their last years in the assisted living facility because a disease process needs the 24-hour care that a nursing home provides? That another move may be in order? And, would families know to plan ahead financially and save monies for nursing home care? And, what happened if a care recipient used all assets to live in an assisted living facility, then had to move because the assisted living facility did not accept Medicaid? How would the family find a quality nursing home in this situation? It seems like really tough calls to make. There comes a time when care at home may be just too difficult to maintain. Finding a good facility is possible; planning ahead and preparing by being familiar with all housing options will uncover the good, and the bad, facilities. As you know, life changes in a moment’s notice. Your care recipient may be fine at home today, but suffer another serious stroke tomorrow. Find the facilities in your area today that are good; if the good ones have waiting lists, add your care recipient’s name (you can always pass on an offer for a bed). Put controls in place so that you know you’re doing very best to care for your care recipient, even when the care setting changes from your home to the nursing home. Index of Articles Check On Nursing Home Through The Government’s Nursing Home Compare |
Read Another Caregiving Special Focus
Ask
An Expert Three Issues of Caregiving: Free! our free electronic newsletter, Spotlight on Caregiving. You'll receive Spotlight in your Inbox on the 15th of every month.
Weekly Comforts for Caregivers, delivered to you via e-mail every Monday morning: Order Now!
Let's Get Coaching! For Family Caregivers: The Caregiving Journey is fraught with twists, turns and tumbles. Map Your Journey: Learn More... For Older Adults: Your life experiences are the greatest gifts you give future generations. Wrap Your Gifts: Learn More... Caregiving make you feel lonely and hopeless. Our products and services, for family caregivers and professionals, speak to your heart--because caregiving is about your heart. Shop now... |
|
© Tad Publishing Co.
1996-2004 |
