Advantages of Nursing Homes Over Home Care

Published: 2011-01-25 - Updated: 2022-06-23
Author: Disabled World | Contact: Disabled World (Disabled-World.com)
Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A
Additional References: Rehabilitation and Hospitals Publications

Synopsis: Examines the advantages of choosing a nursing home rather than stay-at-home care for seniors, the elderly, and people with disability. Residing in a nursing facility provides seniors with a built-in social network of their peers. Senior residents can enjoy the company of others living in the same facility and share their experiences. Registered nurses staff skilled nursing facilities and can provide proper health care to seniors with severe health conditions. This level of care is above and beyond what a family member can provide.

Definition

Nursing Home: A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facilities (SNF), long-term care facilities, older adults' homes, assisted living facilities, rest homes, convalescent homes, or convalescent care. Nursing homes are used by people who do not need to be in a hospital but cannot be cared for at home. Most nursing homes have nursing aides and skilled nurses on hand 24 hours a day.

Main Digest

Assistance with daily tasks

Nursing homes provide assistance to their residents with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, drinking, using restroom, running errands and administering medicine. Typical daily tasks can become increasingly difficult with old age. Many seniors lose their driver's license at some point and are no longer able to drive to the grocery store or local pharmacy.

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Social environment

Residing in a nursing facility provides seniors with a built-in social network of their peers. Senior residents can enjoy the company of others who are living in the same facility and share their experiences. Many nursing facilities also offer organized social events open for participation from all residents. Many senior citizens suffer from depression due to feelings of isolation from living alone and not having access to social outlets.

House keeping

The nursing home staff will take care of laundry service, dry cleaning and general cleaning services in your apartment home. Cleaning can be an arduous task for many aging seniors. Having an on-site cleaning staff can prove to be valuable and save time and energy.

Food service

Nursing facilities provide all meals and snacks. Many facilities offer various meal plans to cater to different tastes and dietary requirements. Some facilities also offer meal planning services with a licensed dietitian to ensure that their residents are enjoying a healthy and balanced diet. The food services and meals provided is incorporated into the nursing home cost.

Health care services

Amongst the most obvious benefits of skilled nursing facilities is the personalized health care services offered to residents. These services typically include regular administration of daily prescriptions, medical attention when needed, emergency medical services, 24-hour health monitoring services. Having on-site medical care available from registered nurses and health care providers is crucial to a senior's safety and well-being.

Safety

The elderly are frequently targets of physical, emotional and financial abuse. Living in an assisted living facility offers seniors a protected environment to help insulate them from possible abuse. Imagine if a senior was living alone and forgot to lock their front door at night due to Alzheimer's or dementia suffering. Nursing homes offer greater levels of security and protection than seniors who are living alone or un-supervised.

Access to resources

While living in a nursing home, residents enjoy easy access to whatever resources they might need. Nursing home residents don't have to worry about learning how to use the internet or holding on the phone while trying to obtain information. The nursing home staff will help residents find the information they need quickly and efficiently.

Relieving your family

Many family members become caretakers for elderly parents or relatives. Many of these people have their own lives with busy work schedules, children, obligations, etc and don't have enough time to attend to their own personal lives while providing constant care to their elderly family members. By living in a nursing home, the senior citizen is taking a burden off their younger family members and is also receiving care from dedicated professionals who are available 24-7.

Specialized health care

Skilled nursing facilities are staffed by registered nurses and they have the ability to provide proper health care to seniors with serious health conditions. This level of care is above and beyond what a family member can provide. Many of the serious diseases that plague the elderly such as Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, cancer and diabetes require health care by a medical professional. Living in a facility with 24-7 health care services will maximize a senior's health and safety.

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