Vital Nursing Home Services
Placing a loved one in a nursing home is a complicated and difficult decision. These are the most vital services you should seek in a care facility.
Video: Nursing Home - Quality of Life
Meal Options
Seniors’ specific nutritional requirements make dietary planning a primary focus. The Atlanta Legal Aid Society has a comprehensive listing of food and nutrition issues in nursing homes, which includes residents’ rights. All nursing homes must meet dietary requirements that include:
- Meals must meet recommended dietary allowances.
- At least three meals must be served daily, at a regular time.
- Current menus must be posted publicly.
- Sufficient fluid intake must be provided.
- Nutritious snacks must be offered daily.
- Food must be served pureed, chopped, cut, or in whatever manner best suits residents’ needs.
- Personal preferences must be considered in nursing homes certified by Medicare and Medicaid, with nutritious alternatives offered should a resident dislike a particular meal.
Residents’ doctors will dictate meal specifications, and nursing homes are required to have a trained dietary or food-service supervisor on site. Facilities must accommodate special diets and provide help with feeding if necessary. Questions or concerns may be brought to the facility’s food-services supervisor.
Recreational Opportunities
Keeping engaged and socially active is vital for the mental – and ultimately, physical – well-being of a senior citizen. Hope College found that participation in social activities could bolster one’s sense of control, which is often bruised by the transition to a nursing home.
Many facilities have their own activities director who plans social and recreational events for residents, and those certified by Medicare or Medicaid are required to have a director. Activities can be as simple as watching movies in a common room or as adventurous as a field trip. Others include:
- Holiday celebrations
- Arts and crafts classes
- Monthly birthday parties
- Outdoor social events such as gardening and barbecuing
- Exercise sessions
- Coffee hours
- Joint creative projects such as a facility newsletter
- Discussion groups
- Religious services, which are mandated for nursing homes certified by Medicare and Medicaid.
Many other types of activities and classes are available, depending on the particular facility. Activities directors should also be open and responsive to preferences voiced by residents.
Transportation Options
Transportation can be a difficult issue for nursing-home residents, as physical demands require that transit be handled with care. Medicare mandates that ambulances transporting nursing-home residents must be capable of handling patients in acute medical conditions, be staffed by trained personnel, and must come equipped with a stretcher, linens, emergency medical supplies, warning sirens, oxygen equipment, and a two-way radio or wireless telephone.
Though transportation options will vary by facility, residents are transported in ways varying from ambulances to medical vans to taxis. Though Medicaid and Medicare typically pay for transportation related to medical necessities, they tend to be more limited.
For more senior-citizen transportation options, consult the Public Broadcasting Service’s Caregiver’s Handbook: Housing and Transportation.
Video: Nutrition for Seniors
What Other Services Are Important?
In addition to meals, recreational and social opportunities, and transportation, nursing homes are responsible for providing other vital services for their residents. These include:
- Medical services ranging from assisted living to health care to short-term rehabilitation programs
- Nursing and personal care, including medication management
- Financial management services
- Special-care units to address specific medical conditions
Before deciding on a particular facility, make sure that their services entirely address all of your loved one’s needs. Some thorough research will certainly pay off when it comes to making this critical decision.