When you put a family member in a nursing home, you expect that person to get good care. Sad to say, that doesn’t always happen. It’s not unusual for residents to feel alone, hungry, or forced to use the facility’s doctors rather than the ones they are more familiar with and are less nervous about seeing. Let’s look at some signs that a different nursing home might be better for your loved one.
Your Loved One Is Always Sad And Distant
If your usually happy loved one, whether it’s a grandparent, parent, or anyone else, seems sad or down, it could be a sign that they are being abused. If your family member doesn’t want to talk about the abuse or seems afraid to, that could be a sign. Mood changes could be caused by being alone or by being in pain through some kind of physical issue that occurred, for example.
Visiting Hours Are Restricted
In general, you should be able to visit your parents or grandparents whenever you want. In fact, many nursing homes let people visit at any time to make things feel more open. If you are told you can’t visit your loved one during normal waking hours, you may want to find out why. The best nursing homes are open whenever family needs to visit. Not only does this make things more friendly, but it also means that people who work (perhaps shifts) or have to think about childcare and so on will always be able to see their loved ones.
The Quality Of Care Is Lacking
Not all nursing homes give their residents the same level of care. Some, for example, just drive people to their doctors’ appointments or do other limited things to keep an eye on them. If your loved one needs a higher level of care, they might be better off at a different facility. The same is true if your loved one complains that medical staff doesn’t listen to them or that they don’t get the medicine they need at the current facility. Health is always important, but it becomes even more so as we get older – it has to be taken care of and should be a priority in any nursing home.
You’ve Heard Bad Things About The Nursing Home
If you find out that the doctors at the current facility where your family member is staying have mistreated patients in the past, you should switch right away. The same is true if you find out that the facility has been criticized by state or federal medical boards. Or perhaps there have been incidences of financial elder abuse. Anything that makes you feel uncomfortable about what you hear regarding the nursing home your loved one is in is a sign that you should take them elsewhere. As a general rule, you can take a loved one out of a nursing home at any time without getting in trouble.
Remember, if a family member gets hurt in a nursing home, you should get in touch with an expert who can help you. They can look over the case and tell you what your rights are as the person in charge of an elderly relative.
This is a contributed post.