How to avoid putting parents in nursing/retirement homes
Many people are faced with problems in making a decision concerning nursing/retirement homes for their parents as they age. The situation is worsened when one of the elderly parents passes away. It therefore becomes difficult in making a decision whether to take the parent in a nursing/retirement home. Children have an obligation of taking good care of their parents and therefore, it becomes imperative for the children to evaluate the prons and cons of nursing/retirement homes before reaching a decisive conclusion. Even though the quality of care provided by the nursing /retirement homes varies, children should not make quick decision of taking their parents to these homes. The reasons they need to consider include cost, freedom, quality of care, sense of belonging and problems relating to dealing with other residents.
Nursing/retirement homes charge high costs. Most nursing homes charge high fees running to approximately $ 150 every day (Sun advocate 2012, para. 1). The amount runs into many dollars in a year, which may not be within someone’s reach. Many people in the U.S cannot meet such costs with their dual incomes and working fulltime incomes. The amount is also projected to increase, which means that people opting for this option will have to part with huge sums of money. Even though it is the right of such parents to be provided with good care, the cost is very exorbitant. Therefore, individuals who can afford the costs are the only ones able to take their parents in these homes. In hard economic times, it is apparent that few people can be able to take their parents in these homes. Therefore, people with low-income levels should look for other alternatives such as providing a helper at home to take care of the parents.
Another drawback of nursing/retirement home is that they deprive the elderly people of their freedom and independence. Even though these parents have their rights and privileges, they are forced to live within an institutionalized environment (Tede, 2000, p. 2). They have to change their lifestyles and leave their schedule and lifestyles to that of the homes. Therefore, they must eat the foods that are provided and participate in activities that are offered by the homes. This deprives them freedom and independence. Even though they cannot live on their own, it is salient that they are provided with some level of freedom and independence such as being allowed to meet their grand kids.
All human beings regardless of age or race love to be cared and most importantly, to have a sense of belonging (Business Journal. 2012, p. 10. Even though some nursing/retirement homes provide a sense of community, dinner and sponsoring strips, these homes do not provide services that are aligned to the individual conditions. For instance, due to busy schedules, their family members may not visit elderly people suffering from certain ailments or old age. Therefore, they lack a sense of belonging and feel loneliness. These feelings may affect their cognitive as they may feel that their family members neglect them.
While other nursing/retirement homes provide notch services to the parents or elderly people, some of them do not provide quality care. Elderly people like any other citizens are entitled to quality health services and other care (Wiltshire County, 2001, para. 2). They are entitled to good health, recreational and other important care while at the homes. Some homes have insufficient funds, which hampers provision of high quality services. Therefore, some of the homes provide imperfect care. Evidence of this poor provision of care is manifested in poor cleanliness, subpar food, poor distribution of medications and inadequate attention to the elderly. Such environment is not good for such parents, but rather worsens their situation and even affects their psychology.
In the nursing/retirement homes, these parents come together from various cultures and backgrounds. Therefore, the issue of dealing with other residents in the homes is a challenge. There are many people and therefore, it becomes difficult for the parents to deal with the nuisance, such as noises and problems of other residents in the homes. For instance, in these homes, the privacy of the elderly is invaded. They have to listen to many issues, such as their talks, scream, moans and many other nuisances. This nuisance affects their peace of mind. Therefore, it is important that these nuisances and problems are managed to help avoid such problems such as psychological trauma to the parents (Wood, 2008, p. 43). Elderly people need to live in an environment that is conducive.
The nursing/retirement homes are not a bad place but many issues need to be considered before making a decision to take a parent in a home. Our parents are very important to us and therefore, as children, we are obliged to take good care of them. We may not provide this care because of our nature of our work schedule. However, it is important to evaluate the options available to ensure that decisive decisions are reached. In considering taking a parent to the home, issues such as quality of care, cost, and sense of belonging among others must take a center stage. I would therefore, prefer an alternative form of taking care of parents and elderly rather than nursing and retirement homes.
References
Business Journal. (2012). Top Area Senior Residential Communities. Grand Rapids Business Journal, 30(28):10-12.
Sun advocate. (2012). Advantages and disadvantages of nursing home care for the elderly. Retrieved from: http://www.sunad.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=12944
Tede P. (2000). Agency helps elderly stay in own homea, Examiner, the (Independence – BluesSprings – Grain Valley, MO).
Wiltshire County (2001). Fears over future of nursing home. Wiltshire County Publications (England), September 27, 2001 News: Amesbury,
Wood, P. (2011). Professional, practice and political issues in the history of New Zealand’s remote rural ‘backblocks’ nursing: The case of Mokau, 1910-1940. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 30(2): 168-180.
