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"I'm sorry, your mom really needs to go to a nursing
home …"
Those are tough words for a daughter or son to hear,
and tough words for a health care provider to say. The
look of panic on the faces of family members and patients
often leaves nurses reaching out to comfort and wondering
how to help.
Lori Popejoy, GCNS,RN, Mary Zwygart-Stauffacher, Ph.D.,
RN, and I-researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia
and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire-have written
The New Nursing Homes: A 20-Minute Way to Find Great
Long-Term Care that lists features to look for when
choosing long-term care for loved ones.
We have summarized this information in an observation
guide for consumers to use as they walk through facilities.
The guide includes questions to ask residents, their
family members and staff, and comes with "correct"
answers.
Families are advised to visit several facilities, take
a quick 20-minute walk through each one, and use the
observation guide to determine the quality of care.
Decisions about long-term care are best made based on
the quality of care, not just bed availability or location.
We list seven signs of high-quality nursing facilities
(nursing homes, assisted living, residential care):
A homelike setting. A nursing facility
should feel like a home, not an institution or hospital.
Residents' rooms should have plants and personal items
from their previous homes so each resident can identify
the room as his or her own.
Excellent care. In a quality nursing
facility, staff stay on top of the fundamentals of care,
helping residents to bathe, eat, dress and go to the
bathroom. Residents should have a variety of activities
to engage in, such as discussion, Bible study groups
and games. Meals should look appetizing and smell good.
Family involvement. Good facilities
encourage families to get involved with the care of
their loved ones. Families who work closely with staff
members feel more confident that their loved ones are
receiving the personalized care they want and need.
A pleasant environment. A nursing
facility should be clean, spacious, not too noisy and
odor-free. Furnishings and equipment should be functional
and well-maintained.
Good communication. There should
be positive verbal and nonverbal communication between
staff and residents. Quality staff members will talk
with and listen to residents. It should be obvious to
someone walking through a facility that residents are
comfortable with the staff caring for them.
A committed staff. Staff members
should be responsive, compassionate, clean and well-groomed.
They also should remain employed at a facility for several
years. Registered nurses should be closely involved
in monitoring health conditions of the residents, and
nurses who specialize in geriatric care should supervise
their care.
A central focus. Good nursing facilities
not only focus on residents and their family members
but also on the community by participating in local
events, soliciting community support or sponsoring educational
programs, such as those about healthy aging.
The options available for people needing long-term
care today range from skilled rehabilitation, to traditional
nursing home care, to assisted living, to in-home services.
Making decisions about long-term care is stressful
for families, but it can be made much easier armed with
the right information. Knowing what to look for helps
make this emotionally charged decision more objective.
For more details about The New Nursing Homes: A
20-Minute Way to Find Great Long-Term Care, visit nursinghomebook.com.
The book is available for $14.95 in bookstores or can
be ordered from Fairview Press at (800) 544-8207.
Contact
Marilyn Rantz at rantzm@health.missouri.edu.
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