5 Tips to Protect Your Loved One in a Nursing Home

The decision to transition a loved one to a nursing home isn’t an easy one. With approximately 1.2 million people in more than 15,000 certified nursing homes, you aren’t alone in seeking care for someone you care about. Even when it’s the best choice for everyone involved, it can be difficult to turn over your loved ones’ care to people you don’t know. Take heart knowing that you are still central to their care; even if their daily needs are being met by professionals, you have an important role in keeping them safe. Here’s how:

1. Research and Tour the Facility 

Researching facilities that you are considering for your loved one is critical. You’ll have an opportunity to see if the residents seem well-cared for, if the building is clean and seems safe and if the facility has a clean violation record.

It’s important to ask extensive questions on your tour to ensure your loved one will be safe and receive the kind of care you expect. Observe what you see, hear and feel. Is it a generally cheery place? Is the temperature appropriate? Do they have enough mobility aids?

In addition to physically touring the space, you can verify accreditation, look up online reviews, check ratings and review inspection reports. You can see if there have been any violations; if so, it’s appropriate to ask the facility how they have addressed the issue. 

1. Visit Frequently

Regular visits not only keep morale high and help foster continued connection, they also can help keep your loved ones safe. Creating a visit schedule for you and other family members/friends ensures that the person living in the nursing home has contact with people outside home, people who can advocate for them and who will notice if something isn’t right. Visitors should ask if there are any issues, compare behavior to past visits, verify that the person is cared for and check the cleanliness and safety of the room. Look for signs of abuse or neglect, such as unexplained bruising, infections or tension with caregivers. 

1. Observe the Staff, Facility and Daily Procedures 

When you visit, focus on the details of daily care and routines. Watch how the staff interacts with the residents and how frequently residents are being cared for. Look for signs of understaffing, which is common in nursing homes, such as lack of cleanliness and attentiveness to residents. 

Pay attention to how often activities are offered – and what those activities are – to ensure your loved one is getting the stimulation and interaction they need. Check the menus and sample the food so you can see if meals are nutritious and tasty. Verify that safety precautions are being followed and safety equipment is in good working order. 

Changing up the times you visit can lead to insight about the regular happenings in the facility and the consistency of your loved one’s care, so try to observe at different times of day, days of the week and holidays. 

2. Use Technology 

You can also utilize technology to help you keep an eye on your loved one. Talk with the staff about what tools are acceptable to use in and around their room. For example, you may want a voice-activated calling device (such as an Amazon Alexa) and a medical alert device to help in the case of a fall. A security camera can help provide peace of mind, but discuss with your loved one and their care team about where to position it to ensure continued privacy. If your loved one regularly leaves the nursing home (whether on sanctioned field trips or unsanctioned wanderings), you might consider a GPS tracker.

Whatever tech you use, be sure that the resident is aware of and accepts this level of monitoring.

3. Keep Their Valuable Possessions Safe

Moving into a nursing home is difficult for many reasons, one of which is consolidating a life’s worth of possessions into a limited space. The objects your loved one chooses to bring are likely incredibly sentimental and important to them, but they can be at risk. The communal nature of the facility and varying levels of supervision mean it’s easy for objects to be misplaced and picked up by someone else, particularly if your loved one experiences bouts of confusion. Theft may also be an issue due to high staff turnover and mental deterioration that other residents may experience. 

To help protect your loved one’s possessions (and treasured memories), consider creating an inventory and labeling important belongings. You might also get a safe or lockbox for valuable items, or keep those items in a separate location (such as a safety deposit box or a trusted loved one’s home).  

Assist your loved one in contacting their insurance agent to discuss making sure their belongings are adequately protected; this may include adding renter’s insurance, as most homeowner policies have limited coverage for personal belongings located outside the insured home. 

Financing a Nursing Home Stay

Depending on where you live, nursing homes can range from $175 a day to $1,000 a day; the average annual cost is $111,325. Talk with your Farm Bureau agent about planning ahead for long-term care costs.