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A nursing home can seem like a daunting prospect for both the person going there and the person or persons who are making that decision to do it too. A nursing home can feel like an end of life move for an individual, but that’s not always the case. Just because someone needs more assistance in life, doesn’t mean they’re incapable and should expect their life to end there. Here are the signs that it’s time to put a loved one into a nursing home.
Everyone can be busy with their own lives and so having to dedicate time to those who need it can be difficult to manage. When your loved one is getting more reliant on needing your help, it can certainly put a strain on what you can do and what you’re limited to do. With that in mind, if you’re finding that the care you are giving is simply not enough and they need more, then maybe they need some assisted living. It doesn’t need to be one where they have their own room, but the rest is communal. Instead, it could be them living in their own flat or bungalow and having help come to them on site.
Your own mental wellbeing is important, and when you’re looking after someone, that can certainly be challenging for you. It’s often the person who’s sick or needs the care that is always considered to be the one in distress, but the carer is also one that needs to focus on their mental wellbeing too. So with that in mind, if you find that your own mental wellbeing is affected, then it’s important to prioritize yourself too. When looking for a nursing home, make sure you’re checking their background, especially for a history of nursing home abuse. You want to be safe in the mind you’re putting your loved one in a safe environment.
When it comes to the individual, there’s needs to be an assessment on how well they can function on their own. The reason being is that they’re not always going to be able to do so, and that can be a sign that they need the assisted living. So if your loved one is visibly struggling to do things of their own accord and this is basic stuff like cooking meals and cleaning themselves, they need help. There’s no point in them risking their health even more so.
And lastly, sometimes you’ll need to take charge and ownership of your loved one’s health as they might not be in the right mindset or state to make decisions for themselves. However, if at all possible, it’s good for them to make the decision to go into care themselves, rather than others doing it for them.
Going into a nursing home isn’t a bad thing, so don’t feel like you’re doing your loved one an injustice by suggesting it.