Say the words ?nursing home?, and you may receive an immediate judgment about the people living in nursing homes, the people who work there, and the services offered. In fact, there are many different things we don?t know about nursing homes as a society, and many things we believe that are in fact outright myths or even lies. Nursing homes are about more than palliative care end of life, though that service is certainly desperately needed. They?re also about physical therapy, post-hospitalization care, and many other specific situations. Let?s dive into the truth about nursing homes, and why they?re so important to society at large.
1. Nursing Homes Aren?t Just For The Elderly
It?s true that nursing homes provide excellent care for the elderly ? but those are not the only people who can benefit from long-term care services. Anyone who requires 24-hour care following any sort of illness or injury can benefit from the services offered by nursing homes, which can include in-home rehabilitative therapy. Physical therapy is often used to assist in recovery following serious accident or injury. You would be surprised by how disruptive some conditions can be ? even asthma can affect people on a major level, especially if that asthma is severe. Physical therapy is ultimately about helping people have a better quality of life through things like increased range of motion and physical fitness, in or out of a nursing home.
2. Nursing Homes Do Not Eliminate Social Lives
A hesitation that people have about entering a nursing home ? whether for end of life care or rehabilitative care ? is that they?ll lose their social lives and contact with their families. In fact, the whole point of residential nursing homes is to combine the aid of a hospital with the comforts of home. Most are equipped with communal and kitchen areas for residents to take part in, forming more of a community than an institution. Furthermore, many allow nursing couples ? in cases when both halves of the couple need nursing home services ? to live together. Nursing home activities and environments are structured to make people feel as if they?re in their home away from home, with all the pleasantness that comes with it.
3. Nursing Homes Aren?t Safe
Some worry that their sick or fragile loved ones won?t be medically safe in nursing homes. This can?t be further from the truth. Nursing homes are meant for people who don?t fit into a hospital setting ? because they aren?t sick enough or need palliative care ? but can?t be cared for at home full-time. As such, nursing aides and qualified nurses are usually on hand 24 hours a day, and some nursing homes even have special units for patients with specific needs, from asthma to Alzheimer?s.
There?s no need to hesitate about entering or helping a loved one enter a nursing home. The care provided is excellent, and the atmosphere presented is loving and comfortable.