Nursing Homes

People go to nursing homes for a variety of reasons. Many are temporary patients who need rehabilitation after surgery. Others are mentally and physically handicapped and need additional care to what their families can provide. The majority of people in nursing homes are the elderly who need long term care. The expenses of nursing homes are either provided by Medicaid or by private funds or a combination of both depending on the facility.

Three-fourths of patients in nursing homes are women aged 85 and older. Most of these patients need assistance with basic activities, such as getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, washing and getting dressed. Around two out of five people over the age of 65 will eventually go to nursing homes. The current cost per year is around $40,000 and is expected to triple in the next 20 years. Therefore, it is wise to invest in long term care insurance to spare you children a large expense in later years.

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It is worth it to visit several nursing homes before making your decision. Act as an inspector and use all of your five senses rather than relying on the information the faculty gives you. Do the patients seem content and attended to? Do the nurses enjoy their work? It is worth it to ask the staff and patients in the nursing homes how they feel about the facility.

Of course, you also have to use your intuition as well. If some nursing homes just don’t seem “right” then they probably are not good options. Atmosphere is less describable than the taste of the food but is no less influential in affecting the morale of the patients.
Make sure that all of the equipment is in good condition and that requests are dealt with swiftly. The best nursing homes have a lot of activities for the patients. Again, don’t rely on what the faculty tells you, but look on the calendar to see what kind of outings and activities are scheduled.