Choosing to put a loved one into a nursing home is a heart rending decision for most of us. No one really wants to put mom or dad, grandma or grandpa into a care facility. But when failing health or dementia demand that someone needs to care for them day and night, nursing homes may be your only option.

If you find yourself at that place where you need to put one of your loved ones in a nursing home, you’ll want to make sure that the facility you choose gives them the best of care. Here are some ways to check out the quality of any nursing homes you are considering for your loved ones:

• Visit the Medicare website. Medicare’s website maintains information regarding which nursing homes are approved for Medicare. There is also some basic information about many of the facilities. This is an excellent source of unbiased information.
• Visit the facility. The best time to visit nursing homes is when they aren’t expecting you to come. If you want to see the facility for what it is, and for how it actually operates on a day to day basis, show up without an appointment and ask if you can walk around a bit. If they don’t want you to, the logical next question is “Why not?”
• Ask about staff to resident ratio. Particularly, you need to know how many skilled staff are working with how many residents. Many nursing homes have as few as one nurse working with 30 residents. Obviously, that’s not enough staff to offer quality care. A 1:10 ratio or less is much more reasonable.
• Trust your instincts. If you suspect that the patients at a given facility are not receiving quality care, you’re probably right. In any case, you’re not going to want your loved ones staying there if you’re not comfortable with the level

We understand that making the decision to move your loved one into a nursing home is a difficult one. In most cases, so do the staff at the nursing homes (and if they don’t, you’ll want to find a different nursing home anyway). Your loved ones deserve the very best care they can get. And when you make it a point to check the facilities out before moving your loved one there, and to stay involved after your loved one is in the nursing home, you help ensure that they will receive a high quality of care.

When you have a loved one living in a nursing home or assisted living facility, it’s important to visit as often as you reasonably can. The stress of moving to a new environment often compounds medical problems and can make recovery more difficult. Staying active and socially engaged is an important part of healthy living, and you can help your loved one stay positive when you visit.

• Nursing homes typically have visitation schedules that you should be aware of as you plan your visit. Dropping by unannounced can be a stressor instead of providing the comfort and pleasure you intended.
• You should not visit when you have a cold, flu, or other virus, as other residents may have immune deficiencies which make them more susceptible to illness.
• Call ahead to find out if your loved one is in need of any personal items, clothing, or other necessities. Ask what time of day would be best to avoid mealtimes and medication times.
• Gifts are usually welcome. You can always bring flowers, but consider bringing a gift that will last longer such as a blanket, pillow, sweater, or slippers with good tread. Children can draw their own cards and pictures to brighten up the room.
• Medical devices can often be intimidating, but don’t be afraid to touch your loved one during the visit. Nursing home patients often suffer from isolation, and the healing powers of a human touch go a long way toward reestablishing that physical connection.
• You can plan to share a meal with your loved one, but make sure to ask about the nursing home’s policy about bringing food in.
• Don’t be in a hurry when you visit, and listen actively when your loved one is speaking. Make sure you can give them your full attention. Bring activities along for the kids to keep them occupied.
• You may be able to offer a manicure, pedicure, or hair cut during your visit. If you plan to take your loved one off site for any reason, just be sure to clear it with the staff beforehand.
• Get to know nursing home staff and other residents. Many residents don’t get many visitors, and you can easily brighten someone’s day just by popping in to say hello. Informal conversations will also allow you to gauge the level of care and working conditions in the nursing home.

Staying in a nursing home can be very hard on patients due to the social isolation and constant focus on medical issues. Many patients can start to feel like a burden to family members, and they might not want anyone making a fuss over them. Be sure to reassure your loved one that they are an important part of your life, and respect their feelings as well as their intelligence. After all, they are adults in need of medical care, not children who can’t take care of themselves.

Narcotic pain killers were developed for patients in severe pain and in immediate need of relief, but drug enforcement actions often jeopardize the timely delivery of pain medications to patients in nursing homes.

• Since narcotics carry a high risk of diversion to unauthorized use, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began auditing a number of long-term care facilities in 2009 to evaluate their compliance with the rules for prescribing and dispensing controlled substances.
• Existing DEA rules treat nursing home patients as outpatients, but nursing homes are more like hospitals than doctors’ offices with respect to how they are operated and the amount of oversight where prescription drugs are dispensed. In many cases, patients coming straight from the hospital may develop symptoms after arrival, and doctors cannot always be reached. Once the doctor is located, there are problems in evaluating patients who are no longer on site. This leaves many elderly and frail patients in long-term care centers awaiting pain relief, sometimes for days.
• According to a survey last March by the Quality Care Coalition for Patients in Pain (QCCPP), 65.4% of physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, nurses and other clinicians across 46 states say that DEA procedures are causing delays in getting pain medication to their patients.
• The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on the subject earlier this year, in which advocates testified that the existing drug enforcement rules interfere with the ability of health care workers to provide adequate support for patients in need of controlled medicines in long-term care facilities.
• The DEA released new rules at the end of March, set to take effect in June, which would give physicians the option of issuing electronic prescriptions for controlled substances, but stopped short of authorizing nursing home employees to dispense medications without a prescription in the event the doctor cannot be reached.
• In early October, the DEA again updated the guidelines for its enforcement of drug policy. The new rules allow physicians to authorize nurses in long-term care facilities to act as their agents, and allow such agents to phone in prescriptions to pharmacies. Under previous guidelines, nurses and other long-term care employees were granted no such authority.

Nursing homes now have options when doctors cannot be reached and patients are in pain. The new guidelines issued by the DEA should “expedite in many cases getting the prescription processed and dispensed by the pharmacist, delivering it to the ultimate user and decreasing the potential for a patient to be in pain or discomfort longer than necessary,” according to a spokesperson from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

It takes a very special person to take care of someone else. That is especially true when the caregiver is not an immediate family member. Taking care of another human being is something we all have some capacity for, but people who enter caregiving professions should have what it takes in much higher proportions than the average person.

Besides knowing their medical “stuff,” caregivers should have certain personality traits that make them good at what they do. They also have a little something extra that allows them to manage the stress of being around people who are sick, or even dying.

• The best caregivers are usually helper/supporter personality types. This means it’s in their nature and it’s actually their preference to take care of someone else, and they like to put other people’s needs first. People enter the medical profession for a variety of reasons, and many of them aren’t really helper/supporters by nature. These people tend to stand out because they are more focused on facts and information than on the feelings and symptoms a patient describes, or they seem calculating and distant when presented with new information or a change in symptoms.
• Caregivers should be good listeners. If a nurse or doctor doesn’t have good listening skills, watch out. That’s a good sign that they aren’t terribly invested in what the patient has to say. Maybe they’re just busy, and can’t spend time listening to long or rambling descriptions of aches and pains, but a good caregiver will listen attentively, knowing that it can help give them a fuller picture of what the patient is experiencing, which can improve the accuracy of any diagnosis.
• A good caregiver will not take things personally or “get into it” with a patient. Nurses and doctors know when a patient is in pain or distress they may not be quite themselves. Good caregivers will have patience with their patients, and not overreact when someone who is hurting or scared misbehaves a bit.
• Good caregivers give good advice. Of course technical acumen is a major factor in what it takes to be a good provider of care. While it may be the most important thing, it’s just not the only thing that counts.

When you’re looking into nursing homes, talk to the staff and make sure they have the right stuff to be a good caregiver. It takes more than technical expertise to provide proper care, and you’ll quickly notice the difference when you pay attention to these details.

Nursing homes are great for elderly people that have a hard time living on their own, but a problem that happens sometimes in nursing homes is the quality of air, and this can cause some unwanted health problems for the elderly. It is very important for nursing homes to constantly test the quality of air in there retirement centers to ensure the senior citizens that live there are breathing clean air. Here are some stories about nursing home air quality concerns when it comes to the health and safety of seniors.

1. Courant – This is an interesting article about a study in Connecticut about poor air quality in state nursing homes and the effects it is having on the patients there.
2. ArticlesBase – In this article there is information on the impact of poor air quality on the elderly and how pollutants affect asthma, viruses, bacteria and other irritants.
3. Long-Term Living – This is an alarming article that describes the ill effects that poor air quality can have on seniors including asthma and cancer.
4. Buzzle – This article names the top offenders of poor air quality and how nursing home residents are affected most.
5. First Health – This is an article that examines the detrimental impact that nursing home air quality can have on its residents.
6. Environment – This is a blog that focuses on the impacts of smog, pollutants and overall poor air quality and how the elderly with weakened immune systems and lung capacities are affected and how to help.
7. Saiontz & Kirk – This article talks about the problems one nursing home in Baltimore had with air quality and its adverse affects on its’ residents.
8. Home Gas Heaters – This is a blog about the adverse affects of poor air quality, its effects on nursing home residents and small children and how to eliminate it.
9. Lone Wolf Review – This blog suggests that keeping the elderly indoors may be more harmful due to poor air quality.
10. Neck Arthritis – This is an article about how the cleaners and chemical agents used for cleaning can contribute to poor air quality and impact health in the homes of the elderly.
11. Arch1Design – This is a surprising article about how poor air quality has caused the deaths of many elderly in Canada and why it is happening.
12. How to Cure Asthma Permanently – This is a post about airborne debris and contaminants, their effects on senior citizens and their health.
13. New England Journal of Medicine – This is a journal article about how tobacco smoke and other pollutants affect the elderly in public housing.
14. Footprints – This post is about ground level ozone levels and how they impact the indoor air quality or senior citizens in their homes and what the government is doing about it.
15. Air American – This is a blog about how the indoor air quality of senior homes are 2 to 5 times more toxic than outdoor air and how it affects their health.
16. Carpet Steam Cleaners – This is a blog about the need for carpet steam cleaners in nursing homes due to prevention of airborne pollutants that make the elderly patients ill.
17. Nursing Home Insurance – This is a blog explaining why air qualities among other amenities are absolutely necessary for quality nursing homes.
18. Medscape – This is an article about improving the physical environments of nursing homes with inclusion of air quality and how poor air quality affects the residents there and their safety.
19. WBAL – This is a story about what happens when the indoor air quality Is not sufficient in a nursing home and how it affected the residents.
20. About Nursing Home Neglect – This is an article about nursing homes that have been cited by government officials because of poor air quality putting their residents in risk.
21. Common Dreams – This is an interesting blog about how moderate air quality problems can result in heart attacks and other health issues for the elderly in and out of nursing facilities.
22. Baltimore Sun – This is a story about the ill effects of heat and poor air quality in a nursing home.
23. US News – This is a story about the adverse effects that air pollution and poor air quality have on the elderly in and out of nursing homes.
24. Harry Pottering – This is an article about nursing home neglect as a result of poor air quality and its effects on nursing home residents.
25. Mercury – This is another example of a nursing home that came under fire for poor air quality conditions and risk to the residents’ health.
26. OJIN – This is a journal article about the increasing issues with air quality in nursing homes and how the health of the senior citizens in the homes is negatively impacted.
27. Your Lawyer – This post is about the problems associated with nursing homes that do not comply with air quality standards and put their residents at risk.
28. SMUD – This is a blog about what nursing home standards are supposed to reflect in compliance with air quality and how the residents are affected when they fail.
29. CME – This is a journal article about the ways in which elderly with chronic pulmonary diseases are affected by poor air quality in their nursing homes.
30. Ashrae – This is an article about indoor air quality in nursing homes specifically and the decline in the quality of life that poor air quality forces upon the residents.
31. European Respiratory Journal – This is a journal article about a study that concluded that elderly persons living in nursing or community homes are at high risk of illness due to poor indoor air pollution.
32. GreenFacts – This post discusses the causes, concerns, and effects of poor air quality on the elderly in and out of nursing homes.
33. Medical News Today – This is a blog about the link between poor air quality and cardiovascular diseases in senior housing.
34. Chiro – This is a blog and resource for information about indoor air quality and its effects on the elderly whether they reside at home or in a nursing community.
35. AKLung – This is a post that teaches readers about indoor air quality, its dangers, it’s effects on the quality of life of children and seniors and how to improve IAQ.
36. RabbitAir – This is an article about how air pollution can not only cost more in Medicare billing but can also diminish the quality of life for an elder patient.
37. ISPUB – This is a journal article about the adverse effects indoor air quality has had on the elderly in a province of Nigeria.
38. American Mold Inspection – This is a short blog about indoor air quality testing and why the elderly and children are most at risk for poor air quality.
39. Science Daily – This is a study about poor air quality and the link between carbon monoxide levels and increased risks of cardiovascular and other serious diseases in elderly homes.
40. SciVerse – This is an interesting article about the effects of indoor air pollution caused by cooking on elderly women in homes.
41. Mother Nature Network – This is a blog with surprising facts about the chemicals in cleaning products and their contribution to poor indoor air quality in elderly homes.
42. Charity Guide – This is an interesting article about indoor air quality and why going green may be making our elderly sick and includes tips on how to improve air quality.
43. FAQS – This is a blog that addresses the history, issues, and health risks to senior homes of indoor air quality.
44. The World Bank – This article is about the poor air quality in elder homes in Bangladesh and how their health care and quality of life is affected.
45. Coway – This is a post about the dangers to the elderly with and without pre-existing conditions  due to poor air quality.
46. Ehso– This is a blog with very comprehensive information about indoor air quality in residential and nursing homes and the effects of poor air quality on the elderly, children, and nursing mothers.
47. Air Duct Cleaning – This is a post about clean air ducts, poor air quality, and the issues presented to elder homes.
48. Earth Platform – This is a blog about many different types of air pollution and how they affect air quality, health, and senior homes.
49. ServiceMagic – This is a post about indoor air quality, what causes poor air quality and how it affects elder homes, children, and those with chronic illnesses.
50. Lacomech – This is a blog about mold and bacteria and how they can cause illness and diminish the air quality of your home, nursing homes and hospitals causing illness and chronic problems.

Image Credits: ulrichkarljoho

Helping a loved one to cope with a debilitating illness can be challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is difficult to assist a person with a debilitating illness as they are dealing with loss of normalcy and function. Loved ones are not only dealing with this loss as well, but they are often caregivers as well as husbands, siblings, parents and friends. Learning to be supportive and encouraging, while also being patient with the all that illness brings is the most important aspect of loving someone with a chronic illness. These articles are a collection of tips and guidelines in learning to be supportive and also helping a loved one cope with their debilitating conditions.

1. Parenting Ed: Article for parents discussing how to assist a child to cope with their chronic illness. Focuses on school-aged children with chronic illness..
2. Lightship: Tips for helping partners and spouses cope with debilitating mental illness in their partners.
3. Soon.org: A British site focused on helping families of loved members with chronic and terminal illness. Reiterates how difficult it is on caregiver as well as the individual affected with illness.
4. Dr Oderberg: Tips from a marriage counselor for dealing with chronic illness in a marital or intimate relationship.
5. Rest Ministries: A site that encourages spousal support through the tough times of chronic and disabling illness. Gives tips about working together to stay together.
6. Clare Berman: Written for children, gives tips about dealing with chronic illness in your parents, and what you can do help them.
7. CYH: Discusses managing the emotional issues around children and parents dealing with chronic illness in the child.
8. Wonders and Worries: Great site for kids about coping with their parent’s chronic and debilitating illnesses. Gives tips for the whole family on coping strategies.
9. Stone Buddies: Foundation that focuses on assisting families with children that have chronic diseases. Parents and siblings are taught how to deal with the sick child and how to deal with illness themselves.
10. The NH Mirror: Focuses on mothers of children with chronic illness, with the emphasis of the article  being “if you can’t take care of yourself, you cannot take of your sick child and family.”
11. WPIC:Foundation for assisting parents of children with disabilities and life threatening tips. How to help child grow up to be all that they can be.
12. Gaiam: Focused on helping a loved one with cancer cope with their diagnosis and prognosis.
13. Terminal Illness: A British website that has a section for those suffering from terminal illnesses. Also sections for those that are related to, married to, or friends of people with terminal illness, with tips for all in dealing with the terminal diagnosis.
14. Cancer Club: Tips for how to support your loved ones with cancer.
15. Kidscope: Organization gives tips for helping loved ones (especially children) deal with the chronic illness of a loved one.
16. Surviving Bipolar Disorder: Helping a loved one with cope with the debilitating effects of bipolar disorder.
17. Facing Bereavement: Intended for family members of those that are facing a terminal diagnosis, and how to face your fear and aid in coping of the ill family member.
18. Choose Help: How to help your loved one deal with depression and other mental illnesses.
19. Mama’s Health: Geared towards mothers (and fathers), this article focuses on how to cope with having a sick child, and how to assist your child in dealing with their own disease.
20. Armchair Advice: British article about How both the afflicted and their family members can deal with terminal diagnosis.
21. Guide4living: Informative article about supporting a loved one with MS, and how to assist them in keeping independence as long as possible.
22. Caregivers Library: Website that has a database of several illnesses, and tips about dealing with all of them.
23. Healthguidance: 20 tips to help children deal with death, terminal illness, chronic illness in themselves and loved ones.
24. Methods of Healing: How to help your loved one afflicted with Parkinson’s disease cope with their illness, while still caring for yourself.
25. PD Ring: Understanding Parkinson’s disease and how you can help those afflicted cope with their disease.
26. Survivors Club: How to be a co-survivor of lupus, and get through day to day challenges and difficulties with a debilitating illness.
27. Mollysfund: a blog told by a lupus survivor outlines things people can do to make their loved ones lives a little easier when they have a chronic illness.
28. St Maarten AIDS:although written about AIDS, the article has great tips about dealing with any devastating chronic illness.
29. My Chronic Life: A blog written by someone who has a chronic illness, gives tips to those that love someone with an illness. Great tips from the perspective of a “sick person.”
30. The New Homemaker: Living with a chronic illness can make household tasks difficult, and this focuses on things you can do to help those suffering from an illness make household a little easier to take care of.
31. Seniors Site: A site that assists people in dealing with chronic and debilitating illness; mostly focused in the senior population.
32. Two Of Us: Dating someone with a chronic illness is difficult and straining, this gives tips on how to manage your own feelings and still support them.
33. Humane Healthcare: Chronic illness in marriage can put a strain on the relationship, this website lays out steps to avoid divorce and remain committed to one another despite the illness.
34. Kidney Advocacy: This article is written to parents of children with debilitating illnesses, it stresses the importance of educating your child about their disease so they can empower themselves to fight.
35. IBS Group iscusses how chronic illness affects the pediatric population, and what parents can do make the difficult times better for their children.
36. Connected Kansas Kids: Children with chronic illness are stigmatized by their peers in school, this focuses on how parents and teachers can make the experience easier and also teaching education to schoolmates about the disease.
37. Chronic Illness Coach: Living with chronic and debilitating illness is difficult and this article written from perspective of ill person and gives tips to those that love ill ones how to help them cope.
38. Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital: This article focuses on the sibling of the ill person, with tips to how make both sick and well child feel included in the family.
39. Annies Homepage:  Discusses the need for the entire family to go through the “five stages of grief” to accept the loss of health and “normalcy.”
40. Lemon Aide :A mother, grandmother, and wife discusses how to help people cope with chronic pain, illness and disability. Don’t give up on them, but support them and encourage them to their fullest potential.
41. Cystic-L Handbook: Geared towards Cystic Fibrosis, this article is for siblings of chronically ill individuals. Focuses on how to be supportive, but also how to cope with loss of “normal” sibling relationship.
42. Poststat: How to assist your loved one in getting independence back after suffering a stroke. Tips for helping them to get stronger and gain control over their lives.
43. Kimi: Caring for someone that has had a stroke, this article may be focused on stroke recovery-but has many great tips for dealing with debilitating illness and physical changes.
44. Family Doctor: British article about caring for someone after stroke, and how to help them to cope physically and emotionally with this traumatic event.
45. The Brain Train: Living with a brain injury is draining on family and friends. This article is from the perspective of someone with a brain injury and what he has found helpful for him.
46. Outreach Online: Discusses types of brain injuries, what a loved one can expect after a brain injured family member is done with rehabilitation and how to continue the rehab at home.
47. Healthy Holistic Living: Seven stages of grief and living with a chronically ill spouse.
48. All About Life’s Challenges: Focused on spouses of patients with chronic pain, how to make sure the marriage is strong and how both spouses can feel supported and loved.
49. Hemaware: Told from someone suffering from chronic illness gives tips for dealing with the pain, the fatigue, and inability to do many activities. How loved ones can help with these challenges.
50. Mood Letter: Helping someone who lives with mental illness, tips and strategies to make it easier for all involved.

Image Credits: ulrichkarljoho

Adult daycare centers are seen as a blessing by some and a curse by others. They can provide a safe place for social interaction while giving caregivers a break. Some are equipped to offer medical care and therapy. Specialized daycare services exist for Alzheimer and dementia patients. Care can be provided at a center or in the adult’s home. The benefits and successes are heartwarming.

Struggle and stigma are the experience of others. Whether its guilt for needing help and not being able to care for aging parents on their own, family tension or the aging parent unhappy to loose their independence, it can be emotionally difficult. Not all centers, or in home providers, deliver the same quality of services. The emotional stress of seeing a loved one decline may be compounded by guilt, financial strain and an impending sense of loss and helplessness.

These stories will resonate and challenge. No one is alone. The struggle and the triumph are shared by all. Everyone has, or is, an aging loved one.

Success Stories

1. Our Parents: Adult day care that is good for parents and children.
2. My Optum Health: Adult day care provides respite for caregivers.
3. Aging Care: Adult day care centers can fill a gap.
4. SPON: Daycare helps families to cope.
5. McKnights: Helping people as they age.
6. Caring For Aging Parents: Day care can provide needed relieve.
7. Geriatric management: Planning the transition from going it alone to needing help.
8. Aging With Grace: House calls may help the elderly.
9. Adult Day Care Find: Help with finding adult day care.
10. Free Medical Advice Online: Adult daycare is a good option.
11. Sarah Care: Day care can be fun for the adult.
12. Dollar Stretcher: Starting an adult daycare can provide a valuable service.
13. Silver Planet: Adult day care a caregiver’s best friend.
14. Strength for Caring: why adult day care is a good option.
15. Care Givers Home: The tremendous quality of daycare providers.
16. My Health Bridge: In home daycare can be a success.
17. Senior List: When daycare is a good option and the benefits.
18. San Diego Caregivers Blog: Adult day care a blessing for seniors and caregivers.
19. Caring Today: Daycare for Dad.
20. Aging Parents Authority: Adult day car is an option that helps all the people affected.
21. Vida Senior Resource: An in home day care provider can be a wonderful choice.
22. Home Instead: Seniors with in home day care thrive.
23. Aging Avenues: Senior day care is a tremendous help to caregivers.
24. Family Friendly Fun: Adult day care can provide peace of mined for families.
25. Eldercare Life Tips: Activities can help elderly in day care.
26. Health and Age: Day care providers reading aloud to the elderly has a positive impact.
27. Home Care Charleston: Adult day care centers play a positive role in family life.

The Stigma and the Struggle

1. Aging Care: It may be difficult to convince a family member to go to adult day care. They may feel unloved and a burden.
2. Aging Parents: Caregiver guilt when they can’t do it all themselves.
3. Boca Home Car Services: Difficulties of dealing with parents suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.
4. My Heart Sisters: Daughters carry a heavier burden than sons when caring for elderly parents.
5. Eldercare ABC Blog: Moving parents a long distance so they can be close to you for care. There are difficulties in taking older parents from friends and familiar surroundings.
6. Senior Resource: When to consider adult day care.
7. My Elder Care Blog: Difficulties of caring for an Alzheimer’s patient.
8. Caring: Caring for aging parents and kids at the same time.
9. Science Blog: Eldercare puts strain on parent child relationships.
10. Transition Aging Parents: Difficulty of moving to assistance with aging parents.
11. Elder Care: Care is expensive. Review these tax tips to help keep the cost more manageable.
12. Eder Guru: Caregivers need a break and someone to talk to.
13. The New Elder: Elder care is too little too late. It is counterproductive.
14. Care Station: Giving care or filing for divorce.
15. Nursing Home Abuse Blog: Adults in day care are abuse targets.
16. Snap for Seniors: Seniors need to be included in plans for their life. The stress of aging can be compounded by decisions taken away from them in terms of daycare and more.
17. Elder Care Link: Long distance care giving can be draining.
18. Senior Assistance: Stigma of needing in home daycare.
19. Elder Care Team: Warning signs and why it’s hard to ask for help.

Image Credits: Borya

When you have loved ones that are critically ill it causes a lot of stress on the entire family. Making the decision to place someone you love in a nursing home can be a painful experience. However, finding a suitable nursing home doesn’t have to be difficult. There are numerous options out there, and a lot of resources that are designed to help you choose an option that everyone in your family is comfortable with.

1. Situation Critical: A four –part blog series detailing the process of finding a nursing home for your loved one.
2. Easing the Elder Care Burden: Learn about three tips that will help you adjust to your loved one living in a nursing home.
3. Patient – Provider Communication: Learn how to communicate with the nursing home employees, and how effective communication can help your loved one.
4. Nursing Homes Spend Thousands on Private Ambulance Services: Learn about how much money nursing homes in New York are spending on private ambulance services, and how it’s affecting your monthly payment.
5. Are Costs Higher for In-Home Care, Nursing Homes or Assisted Living: Learn how costs are rising for in-home care, and why a nursing home or assisted living facility may be your best bet.
6. Deciphering the Insurance Puzzle: What exactly does your insurance cover, and how much of the nursing home expenses will you be left to pay?
7. Who will care for the critically ill and disabled: Learn exactly how much of a nursing home stay Medicaid covers, and why you may be left with a hefty bill.
8. Medical and Nursing Home Errors: Learn about things that happen in a nursing home that should never happen.
9. When should Dad go to the nursing home? Determining when is the right time for a home.
10. An Ignored Threat To Patient Health: Why you should ensure that the home you chooses has excellent dental care.
11. Illinois Governor Signs Legislation Targeting Elder Financial Abuse: Learn to spot nursing homes that may be taking the patient’s money.
12. Modify Your Home To Reduce Elder Adult Falls: Simple home modifications may keep your loved one at your home instead of a nursing home.
13. Choosing the Best Care for Your Loved Ones: Make sure you know how to choose the proper nursing home for your loved one.
14. Nursing Home Care: Exactly how well do nursing homes care for patients?
15. Security Cameras for Nursing Homes and Elder Care Facilities: Why security cameras are needed in a nursing home.
16. Advocates for elderly say Illinois nursing home reforms would make facilities safer: Find out what’s wrong with Illinois nursing homes that are cause advocates to insist on a nursing home reform.
17. Nursing Homes to Get 1.7% Medicare Payment Increase: Discover how a Medicare increase helps nursing homes.
18. Tips On How to Choose The Right Nursing Home: Learn what you need to do to choose the right nursing home for your family member.
19. Medicare Nursing Home Penalties Could Fund Direct-Care Training: Penalties that are paid when a nursing home violates a Medicare regulation could be used to advance employees training; how this affects you.
20. Home Care Budget Cuts Hurt the Elderly: Learn how budget will affect the care in nursing homes.
21. Forget Jail, Forget Nursing Homes, Take a Cruise: An article that compares the cost of staying in a nursing home to that of staying on a cruise ship.
22. If Nursing Home Isn’t an Option, Try Jail: Learn how it’s easier for elderly prisoners to re-enter prison than live in a nursing home.
23. Alternative to a Nursing Home: What alternatives are there to nursing homes?
24. 15 Percent Funding Cut Hits Nursing Homes Hard: Learn how a budget cut effects your loved one, so you can make a decision on whether or not a nursing home is right for them.
25. The Future of Nursing Homes Are in Jeopardy: Learn why the future of nursing homes are in danger.
26. Pennsylvania Families Need to Watch for Nursing Home Negligence: Learn what really goes on in nursing homes and how the budget cuts may have a negative impact on the care your loved one received.
27. A Nursing Home That’s Actually a Home: An article that discusses a nursing home that actually feels more like a home.
28. Why You Should Ask About Utilities in the Home You Choose: Article about air conditioning issues in a Baltimore nursing home, and how they could have been deadly if not for a patient.
29. Guide to the Patient Trust and Medicare Bonds: Learn how Medicare bonds help ensure your loved one isn’t a victim of a nursing home fraud.
30. Contractures Are a Form of Nursing Home Abuse: Article that discusses what contractures are and why they should be considered absuse.
31. Nursing Home Evictions: What does it take to be evicted from a nursing home, and what you should do if it happens.
32. Nursing Home Independent Informal Dispute Resolution Process: Why the dispute process is important and how you can file your own dispute.
33. Holes in Background Checks for Nursing Home Employees: An article about nursing homes in Kentucky that have problems with employee background checks. Could felons be caring for your loved one?
34. Nursing Home Receive Adequate Supervision: Learn about how a federal regulation ensures that nursing homes receive better supervision to help prevent accidents.
35. State Budget Shortfalls Mean Medicaid Program Cuts: Cuts in the Medicaid budget means lack of programs for the elderly living in nursing homes.
36. Understanding Nursing Home Regulations: Making sure you understand the regulations a nursing home has to follow helps ensure your loved one doesn’t fall victim to abuse.
37. New, Tougher Regulations Nursing Homes: Tougher regulations for Illinois nursing homes increase the quality of care.
38. NCLE Expands Elder Law Program: The program that advocates for the elderly is expanded, meaning better care for your loved one.
39. ACA Nursing Home  CMP Provisions: Learn about Medicare and Medicaid reforms and how they will affect nursing home care.
40. Fact Sheets Home Health Care: Learn about home health care before you determine that a nursing home is the right choice.
41. Nursing Home Medicaid Requirements: Nursing homes are required to follow Medicaid regulations, make sure you know them so you can ensure the home you choose plays by the rules.
42. Nursing Home Questions: Questions you should be asking the nursing homes you are considering.
43. An Exploration of Nursing Home Organizational Processes: Learn the organizational process of a nursing home so you know who to go to with your questions or concerns.
44. First Person Story:  Finding a Nursing Home During a Crisis: One person’s account on finding the right nursing home during a crisis.

Image Credits: ulrichkarljoho

Choosing a nursing home whether it is in a private home, a skilled nursing facility or an adjunct arm of a hospital can be a daunting task. However, when a resident or family knows what to look for and expect it can ease the burden considerably.

Nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities are mandated by both federal and state guidelines as to dimensions of a resident’s room. While they may vary a little from state to state, there are minimum guidelines in place. Whether it is a single room or a multiple resident room, there are carefully thought out floor plans to maximize comfort and care for the resident.

All residential rooms in a nursing facility must have an entrance directly off a corridor. The door to the bedroom must swing into the room. The only exception to this rule is a bedroom that opens into a large dining/living/activity area, if they were established before December of 1987. The rooms are required to have an adequate source of artificial light and be equipped in a manner as outlined by a state or federal mandate.

Furthermore, toilet rooms must enter directly into the resident’s room or a corridor. The closet space must be at least four square feet and directly situated in the room. Each room must be equipped with one outside window and the total window area should be one-tenth the size of the room at least. A nurse’s call button must be accessible and readily visible as well.

Single residential rooms have to contain at least 100 square feet of usable floor area. The usable space in a multiple room is at least 80 square feet per bed. The space calculated cannot include space used for closets, wardrobes, entryway, vestibules, lockers or toilets.

A multiple resident bedroom can have no more than four beds per room. Beds must be three feet apart and only three beds deep from the wall. The nursing facility is required to have a minimum of ten feet between walls and built-in storage.

The only exception to allotted square feet is for facilities constructed before December 1987. In that exception, all single rooms must be 90 square feet in area and multiple rooms must have a 70 square feet area per bed. Furthermore, multiple resident rooms must provide visual privacy for each resident and cannot restrict access to the toilet or the entryway.

Finding the right nursing home for a loved one can be confusing but knowing the basic requirements will assist the family or resident in choosing a facility that is clean, bright and has adequate living space. Check with a local ombudsman or your state agency for elder care if there are further questions.

Nursing homes today offer a wide variety of care for individuals. The care facilities not only tend elderly persons, but also those who are in need of rehabilitation.
Nursing home care providers receive many benefits from working at a nursing home. Nurses and aides are responsible for a wide variety of health issues.
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Fractures of the hips, and other bones
• Vision problems
• Hearing loss
• Strokes and heart problems
• General mobility issues
These various responsibilities help workers maintain a sense of care, compassion, and pride in their jobs. It takes a very special person to work in a nursing home. Nurses are able to fully use their training by assisting doctors and patients, updating records, and monitoring medications and dosages. Nurses aides and assistants also use their training by assisting with meals, basic physical therapy, help with grooming, and crucial interaction. Since many residents have chronic illnesses, care providers can specialize in treatment plans, such as diet and drug therapy. They also supply a much needed support for a patient’s family and friends.
Many times individuals recovering from surgery or injuries need special care. They may have been released from a hospital but are still not able to be alone at their home, or their families are not capable of giving them the treatment they need. A nursing home is beneficial for their recovery. Workers gain from the satisfaction of helping temporary rehabilitating patients return to their regular lives.
Resident-oriented care is shown to be beneficial to both workers and residents alike. Staff enjoys getting to know their charges on an individual basis. This helps them to better treat each person’s specific needs, making the quality of life a number one priority. This is also favorable to the resident when they can connect with the care provider.
Benefits from working at a nursing home are many. Care providers can have the satisfaction that they offer a much needed service.