Moving into a nursing home can be a wonderful experience, whether it be you or a relative. There are many benefits one can derive from making the move into a nursing home, and it can provide a better quality of life than could be offered back at home. Nursing homes, or old people’s homes (as they are commonly referred) are private or government-funded shelters for elderly people that provide care, comfort, and a sense of normality.
As we grow old, unfortunately, our family ties wane, our friends disappear, and some of us find ourselves completely isolated and alone, and this is one reason one may end up in a nursing home. Nursing homes can, in a way, provide a sense of uniformity and kinship. There are many other older people in similar situations to you or your loved one there. Some, however, cannot stomach the notion of being in a nursing home, and for some, it is just not feasible. You should seriously access both the advantages and disadvantages before you or a relative move into a nursing home, just to make sure it is compatible with your personality. This page will focus entirely on the advantages of moving into a nursing home and will not discuss the aforementioned disadvantages.
1. Better Quality of Care
Moving into a nursing home can provide a better quality of care than one could receive from home-carers. Nursing homes only hire the best of the best and fully vet their carers. One such nursing home, Arcare Brisbane, says that its employees must have at the very least a level three certificate, will be vetted through the police, and will be thoroughly and meticulously reference checked. This means that the care you or your loved one will receive will be unparalleled. Those who work in nursing homes are unquestionably the crème de la crème of carers and can provide a comfortable and safe quality of life and quality of care that could not be achieved anywhere else.
2. On-Site Healthcare
Another of the many benefits of a nursing home is the on-site healthcare. If one were to receive at-home healthcare or daily visits from a nurse, this healthcare provider would not, and could not be as intensive and high-quality compared to the healthcare provider in nursing homes and supported accommodation. These facilities double as hospitals and have high-quality on-site medical equipment and the availability of medications is not a problem. The on-site healthcare means that your loved one, or yourself, can have an ease of access to treatment without becoming stressed out or anxious. Having to wait for somebody to attend your home and provide you with healthcare can be stressful, and if they are late, it can throw your routine out of the window. On-site healthcare, however, does not experience this problem and can ensure you receive treatment and medication at the same time every single day without faltering. It also means that in case of an emergency, you will be thoroughly looked after and need not to worry about suffering.
3. Safety
Older people can, unfortunately, owing to the unscrupulous criminal in our society, find themselves the victims of sophisticated fraud or scams. Having an older person living in a nursing home can ensure that nobody has the opportunity to manipulate their good nature or dupe them into giving away money, jewelry, or precious items. An older person is far safer in a nursing home than they are at home on their own. It also ensures nobody can break into their property and steal from them, which is something that happens far more often than one might have imagined.
4. Housekeeping
With age inevitably comes frailty. An older person cannot move as they once may have been able to, and this can mean they are unable to clean up after themselves, or at the very least, mop and sweep their rooms as they once would have done. Housekeeping in nursing homes is a daily occurrence and provides an older person with the peace of mind that they are living in a clean environment and need not worry about having to break their back to do it themselves. Housekeeping also provides social interaction, which will be expanded upon in the next paragraph.
5. Social Interaction
With age, as mentioned above, and in the introduction, comes isolation. Nursing homes provide frequent and daily social interaction and allow older people to make friends who share their interests and are in similar situations to them. Social interaction is crucial for a healthy mind, and as humans are social creatures, we simply cannot make do without it. Nursing homes allow older people to make friends their age and make friends with the staff who care for them every single day. Social interaction is a gift to many older people, and one of the main reasons that nursing homes are so great.
6. Meals
Nursing homes provide meals thrice daily. These meals keep the older person healthy, nourished, and in good shape, without having to have them cook for themselves, something that is just not viable in older age. The comfort of knowing that their meals will be ready at a certain time is something older people appreciate and love and this is why many find the concept of nursing homes so endearing. Regular mealtimes provide them with a sense of comfort, and they will grow anxious if their meals are not provided at the time they are used to every single day.
7. Routine
As was briefly touched upon in the previous paragraph, older people are given routine by living in a nursing home. This routine gives them something to hold onto and means that they do not need to worry about the future. Routine is an essential component of the nursing home process, and as human beings, we fall into routine and uniformity quite easily. Routine can prevent anxiety and stress and is one of the many, many benefits that a nursing home can offer you or your loved ones.
Now you know a few of the advantages of nursing homes. As with everything in life, they have their disadvantages, which you can likely find elsewhere. Nursing homes are a way to provide care and relief to older people and must be considered as part of a later-life plan.
