Use Your Senses When Choosing Nursing Home Care for Your Loved Ones

by Bill Jackson of Home Health Senior Care

Researching and visiting nursing homes is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. Generally, when looking for a nursing home for your loved one, time is of the essence. Use your senses to identify causes of concern when visiting nursing homes and you just might save some time!

Smell-The first sense to use when visiting a nursing home is your smell. Go beyond the scent of Salisbury steak wafting through the air from the cafeteria...what do you smell? If the answer is urine or human waste, consider your visit over. That smell is a huge indicator that cleanliness is not as much of a priority in that facility as it should be.

Sound-If you made it past the smell, next open your ears. What are you hearing? Perhaps you hear nurses quietly preparing their medications and treatment. Maybe you hear the Price is Right playing too loudly on the TV in a patient's room. Of course, there could always be the incessant ringing of patient call bells with restless, agitated patients calling out to their aides. If you are hearing the latter, imagine your Mom or Dad having to listen to that kind of noise around the clock. Also, consider the fact that if patient call bells are ringing continuously, that is a sign that patient's are not being attended to in an appropriate manner.

Sight-Lastly, look around yourself. What observations can you make about the staff and residents of the nursing home? Does the staff seem to be calm and in-control or are they harried and stressed? Pay close attention to the residents. Do they appear to be content and comfortable? The residents will give you a clearer picture of how your loved one will be.
Using these three senses immediately upon entering a facility can easily help you to determine whether you even want to take the tour. Home Health Senior Care can provide you with access to an entire network of nursing home care providers. Contact us today so that we can help in your search for the best senior care provider for you!

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