Tips To Help You Move Your Loved One Into A Skilled Nursing Facility

23 April 2019
Categories: , Blog

When the time comes to move a loved one into a skilled nursing facility for long-term care, you may struggle. How do you make sure that your loved one is ready for this change? What can you do to make it easier for them? Here, you'll find a few tips that'll help you get your loved one settled into a skilled nursing facility soon.

Do Your Research

Spend some time online looking into the different facilities near you. It's best if you try to keep your loved one nearby so that you'll be able to pop in and visit from time to time without having to go out of your way. Look for information coming from previous or existing patients or families of patients. These reviews will provide you with honest insight into the care that is given at each facility.

Make sure that the facility offers any special care that your loved one may need or has become accustomed to.

Visit the Facility

Take a few hours of your time and tour the facility that you think will be a good fit. Look for cleanliness, how many employees are available to care for the patients, if the patients are active and involved with each other, and what is offered to entertain and keep the patients happy.

Also, confirm that the facility is licensed and has been inspected within the last year.

After you've visited the facility, take your loved one with you to tour the facility as well. If your loved one is fully lucid, you may want to take a few trips to the facility to allow them the opportunity to meet some of the patients already there. This can make the transition to living there full-time much easier; if your loved one knows someone there, they won't be on their own from the start.

Pack Pieces of Home

In many cases, your loved one will be allowed to bring some personal items to display in their room. You want to bring the things that will make your loved one feel at home. Think about their favorite things from home – a blanket, pillow, chair, pictures, and books – what is it that made your loved one most comfortable at home? These are the things to bring to the facility.

This will be difficult in some way. Hopefully, these tips will help you and your loved one get through this change with ease.

About Me

I never thought I would be putting a parent into assisted living. I always imagined that, when they couldn't live alone, my parents would live with me and I would care for them. What I didn't bargain for was my dad passing away when I was a young adult, and my mother developing dementia later on. I wasn't equipped to give my mom the care that she needed, and coming to that realization was hard. I know I can't be the only one who has struggled with the decision, so I created this site to share my thoughts and experiences with assisted living selection and management. I hope the information here can help you if you are facing such a choice.