When the time comes to move your elderly parents into a nursing home, what do you look for, or what questions do you ask?
What do you look for when researching a nursing home for your aging parents?
Moving your elderly parents into a nursing home is probably one of the hardest decisions a child will ever have to make. Stella Henry, R.N., author of The Eldercare Handbook and an eldercare specialist who has been featured in Time, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, says many seniors “unrealistically believe they can take care of themselves for the rest of their lives.” And that’s where their children or other family members can be instrumental in identifying the problem and instigating change.
No matter what the age of your parent, Henry and other experts say now is the time to begin communicating about the future. If you open the lines of communication early on, she says, words like “nursing home” lose their sting later on. That’s important, considering that most of Henry’s clients approach her with little communication groundwork laid.
“Ninety-five percent of my clients come to me in crisis situations,” says Henry. The result? Confused elders, disorganized yet well-meaning children, and a family in chaos.
Studies show that nine out of ten parents don’t want to be a burden so they hide things from their adult children. But by talking to them before they reach the stage where they need a nursing home, it might help build their confidence and allow them to be part of the decision.
One question you might ask when looking into Nursing Homes is…how do you manage my parents medications? Nursing homes all over the country are now offering pharmacogenetics at the point of admissions to any resident who has medical necessity. By testing these residents upon admission, they help eliminate falls, adverse drug events, medication errors and more.
Some indicators for testing are:
Depression diagnosis
Dementia
Frequent falls
Increased behaviors
Cognitive Impairment / Delirium
Polypharmacy (9+ meds)
Antipsychotics/antidepressants
Pain Management
Re-hospitalization
Pharmacogenetics is a simple swab of the cheek and is reimbursed by medicare b and in select states, medicaid. For more information on this test, contact: PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
It is never easy to make the decision to move your elderly parent into a nursing home, but making sure they are being cared for and asking all the right questions will help ease your mind.
source: aplaceformom.com