7 Issues Plaguing Nursing Homes (and Why Home Care Is a Solution)
Finding the right care is essential to your loved one's quality of life.
Placing a relative who requires professional medical care in a nursing home is likely the worst and most dehumanizing solution.
Before you take steps that could jeopardize the safety and happiness of a family member, let's take a look at some of the disadvantages of nursing homes.
Keep reading to learn about the top 7 issues!
1. Nursing Homes Cannot Give Individual Attention
Most American nursing homes are grossly understaffed, with just one caretaker for 20 or more patients.
This impossible ratio leads to resident neglect and an inability to care for basic needs, in addition to decreased responsiveness to suffering, falls, or medical emergencies in a timely fashion, or at all, in some cases.
When you hire a home care service, a professional will meet all care needs, and individual attention is guaranteed. A dedicated caretaker provides all the caring and special touches that a nursing home simply cannot.
2. They Require Major Change for Little Payoff
Nothing beats the comfort of home. Unless around-the-clock medical supervision is needed, uprooting an ailing loved one is harmful and unnecessary.
During such a vulnerable time, you don't want your relative trading the security of familiar surroundings for subpar care.
Vital Care Partners will help find the best living situation for a patient, and/or equip the house for proper care. Plus, VCP will coordinate a life care plan that prioritizes the patient’s well-being.
3. They May Have Poor Care
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Human Rights Watch (HRW) uncovered urgent concerns for nursing home patients such as weight loss, bedsores, dehydration, severe mental decline, and even inappropriate medication use.
Since the government is not adequately overseeing regulation and staffing, there's a good chance your relative could get ignored or abused. This isn't the case in every nursing home, but it still happens.
The best way to ensure your loved one thrives is through a home care option that Vital Care Partners can plan and coordinate.
4. They Might Discriminate Against People on Medicaid
People who hold private insurance policies or pay privately pay higher rates than those on Medicaid and are often times given preferred treatment. It's not legal, but nursing homes often give Medicaid policyholders inferior care.
5. They Over-Schedule Activities
Nursing homes schedule activities for their residents to maintain a social life and stave off isolation and depression.
That may sound great, but it means residents can’t do what they want. The nursing home determines the events, and the residents are not free to venture out.
Pursuing home care with Vital Care Partners means your loved one will continue living the life they love.
6. They Have No Privacy
Living in a community isn't appealing to everyone. Socialization prevents isolation and loneliness, but limited personal space matters.
Your family member may lose their sense of individuality and lack alone time in a nursing home. They may not enjoy the company of fellow residents and could lose their privacy, especially while receiving medical care.
At-home care preserves independence and personal dignity.
7. Smaller Living Arrangements
Adapting to the aging process and losing freedoms is difficult enough without the feeling of walls closing in. Your relative will have less living space in a cramped nursing home room than in their own home.
At Vital Care Partners, our staff makes sure the housing situation works. Patients can remain in a place that accommodates their needs and preferences, while getting top-quality care.
Get Great Home Care with Vital Care Partners
So, do you want to ensure excellent home care services for your beloved family member?
Home care provides many benefits to people who need additional care but prefer to live at home. We help our clients plan and navigate complex challenges, including managing their lives, medical appointments, finances, and disabilities.
Ready to get better care for your loved one? Contact us today!
For more information on how our experienced team can help your clients through challenging situations, call us at (516) 472-0138 or click here.