Tuesday, October 21, 2008
What would you take to the nursing home?
I was thinking about what few things I would take with me if I found out today that I would be moving permanently into a nursing home. Maybe my comforter so that I would feel more at home and a few family pictures, but what about all of the knick knacks and bric a brac that I have collected throughout the years? I don't have anything that valuable but I would hate to see it all sold at a garage sale for a nickle a piece or given to Goodwill. Our textbook mentions that many people transition from a hospital to a nursing home and never get to see their home again and that it is important that they have that opportunity to visit their home and mentally say goodbye. The person may never see their possessions again and having that chance to look at everything and point to their loved one what should be given to charity and what should be sold on ebay would certainly be more comforting to me. Sometimes the person in the nursing home is the last to know that the move is a permanent one. They may have broken a hip and gone to the hospital and then the nursing home or rehabilitation center as it is often called now and the family realizes that the person will no longer be able to live alone and this will be a permanent move. They postone telling the person, maybe they don't want to upset them or they just are afraid to tell them, usually their parent, but eventually the person figures it out. Guess what, we sold your home and all of your belongings at an estate sale. Guess you have no choice but to stay here now. Nursing homes don't have to be sad places. A female client of mine in her 80's is transitioning from the hospital into a rehab center/nursing home for three weeks and she is looking forward to it. She says she really likes the staff there and always has alot of fun. Even in old age a positive attitude is everything. There are some nursing homes opening up now that are based on a smaller family type concept where instead of big institutional settings the homes have maybe 10 to 15 residents and it is not a sterile environment but a home like environment. People can even bring their pets. While I think that is great, most group homes for adults with developmental disabilities are small but they can still be pretty crummy places to live. It just depends on the staff and the only way to get good staff is to pay a decent salary. Something that is sadly lacking in the direct care field.
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6 comments:
I agree, people should be allowed a smooth transition. My daddy went from the hospital, to an assisted living facility, and then from there to a nursing home, all within about a month. He became aggressive and depressed. I hated watching his personality change so much. I can't balme him for being angry and hurt, having everything he had worked so hard for in life snatched away and taken over by someone else. For the record, it wasn't my idea to put him in a home. I offered to live with him, but my older siblings decided for me that with a young son it would just be too much on both of us. I believe my daddy would have lived longer had he been able to stay at home longer.
My laptop, web cam, ipod, speakers, mouse, keyboard, lapdesk to hold all of it, latest edition of Neverwinter Nights (skittles and diet coke).
My grandmother went from the hospital to a nursing home, at age ninety five. It would have been difficult to take her back to her home first as she had fractured her back, could not walk and her home was very inaccessilbe (lots of stairs). I know she missed her home that she had lived in for over fifty years as that's where her memories were. I was able to bring some of her things to the nursing home, like her rocking chair, TV, pictures, etc. But at her age I don't think she cared much about material things but mostly enjoyed having her family visit with her. She was the focal point of the family and instead of visiting at her home on Sundays, we just all went to the nursing home. We tried to visit frequently during the week also, to make sure she was doing okay, take her food she liked and keep her company. Although we tried to make it as pleasant a situation as a nursing home can be, once she went to the facility she seem to give up. She didn't want to do PT to become ambulatory again and did not eat well. I think most elderly people realize they will never go home again (her house was not sold until after she had passed away).
First, I am trying to think about what I would bring to a nursing home. I would have to have my dog, my quilt, computer, tv, cell phone, and family pictures. This list could go on and on. Thinking about this I feel so materialistic that I need all of these things. My grandmother went from a hospital to a nursing home. The first home she had to share a room with another resident. Now she has her own room. But to think about never going home again to say goodbye is scary. My grandmother has plenty of things in her room, but she will never live in her house again. She will never be able to garden in her flowerbeds. My aunt does have some flowerpots in her room, but she is unable to do anything with them. She enjoys a bird feeder outside of her room. My grandmother ALWAYS talks about going home and leaving. She likes to ask if I am coming to visit and talk about what we can cook when she gets home. She has lived almost 3 years in a nursing home and has hated it but it is the best place for her. She is paralyzed on one side and has dementia.
Great discussion and a very difficult subject when it hits close to home. As we become more medically advanced, we of course can expect to live longer and living longer is a relatively new transistion point in our society. Nursing homes, assisted living, step up homes, etc...a lot to consider! I am not looking forward to my time in this bucket! Rex
I forgot my dog!
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