When you have an elderly parent who needs help with daily living, it is important to you that they receive the best care possible like a Nursing Home. While most families will prioritize caring for their own parents, many children face the same challenge, “Which one is better for my parent – nursing home care or home care?”
Before answering this question, let’s first define what a nursing home is:
A nursing home is not a medical facility , but rather a shared living facility for someone who is in stable health but requires a lot of assistance in their daily lives. The assistance and/or support services provided in a nursing home are called assisted living services and include functions called Activities of Daily Living (ADL) including: bathing, toileting, eating, mobilization, socialization, other self-care (brushing teeth, cutting nails, shaving, dressing, etc.), and monitoring daily well-being.
While there are nursing homes that provide clinical medical services, nursing homes generally focus on high-level assisted living services and activities that support optimal long-term daily living. Because the main function of a Nursing Home is as a place of residence and not a place for short-term treatment or rehabilitation, Nursing Home customers are called residents, not patients.
There are some benefits when the elderly live in a Nursing Home:
- Of course, first of all we need to choose a Nursing Home that is managed properly and professionally. In a Nursing Home that is managed organizationally, the welfare of residents will be monitored by several levels of staff so that they can get more comprehensive attention. And with the availability of staff on duty 24 hours, there will always be someone ready to provide assistance whenever needed.
- One of the main benefits provided by Nursing Homes is ADL assistance provided by staff who are trained in their field. And because in their careers each staff has the opportunity to serve several residents, their range of experience and skills is generally wider in providing services.
- Sometimes when living alone or with family, our parents are limited in their socializing and activities. As a shared living facility, a Nursing Home has added value by providing special opportunities for residents to interact socially, both with fellow residents and staff.
- One of the key services in a Nursing Home is assistance and provision of activity facilities to optimize the daily life of residents. Generally referred to as the Activity function, the Nursing Home will have special staff to organize, facilitate, and accompany residents in various activities so that they can enjoy their daily lives actively according to their respective abilities.
- Because it is specifically designed as a residence for the elderly, various physical facilities of a Nursing Home will tend to be quite safe because they are designed according to the mobility needs of elderly residents. Features such as floor conditions and paths that are wheelchair-friendly and not stepped, non-slippery bathroom floor materials, the availability of railings and other handles to help balance, and the like.
- Especially if your parent has dementia from Alzheimer’s or other causes and tends to wander, building facilities have features that are safe for walking around, are friendly for indoor and outdoor activities, and have guarded exits to help keep residents safe.
- If your parents live in a nursing home, of course your daily life will be helped because all your parents’ daily needs will be served automatically.
But aside from the freedom of time and effort when you are not caring for your own parent, there is another important benefit. Handing over the caregiving duties to a Nursing Home gives you the opportunity to build a relationship as a child with your parent, rather than as a caregiver – someone who may need to help your child with bathing, toileting, and so on. Maintaining the status of a parent-child relationship will provide an opportunity for a more intimate relationship where your father or mother can continue to play the role of your parent with all the pride and dignity.
It’s not always easy to know when the time is right to consider a big step like this. But if you find yourself thinking “my parent needs my attention every day,” don’t wait too long to consider whether a nursing home might be an option for your parent. Stress and worry for you will cause stress and worry for your loved one.