Log some time at the nursing home beforehand
Above all else, try to spend time -- with the person in your care if possible -- at a place you're considering, and trust your instincts. Remember that, even if a patient needs round-the-clock nursing supervision and a nursing home seems to be the only way to go, this is a difficult step for many older adults to take. The sight of other elderly and ill residents, often in wheelchairs, may evoke depressing feelings of being "put in a home."
Staff at a good facility will be aware of these feelings and treat him with care and courtesy. Do they address him by name from day one and ask him about his preferences rather than seeming to treat him as "just a number?" Do the long-term residents look well-groomed and animated? Are there little touches like well-tended plants that make the place seem less institutional? Small things like these can ease a challenging transition.
What else can I expect the nursing home to provide?
Besides nursing supervision, meals, and assistance with personal care, a nursing home should offer laundry and housekeeping; linens and towels; personal hygiene items; activities; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; dental care; and mental health services. A dietician is usually on staff. All of this should be spelled out in a contract you receive upon admission, along with a detailed list of basic and additional charges.
The nursing home is required to assess a patient within two weeks of admission and to review his condition every three months after that. This information should be used to develop a care plan, which should be shared with you in care plan conferences. If you don't get invited to one of these, ask! This is your chance to pose any questions you've been saving up and to share important details about the needs and preferences of the person you're caring for.
What can I do for an 80 yr old woman who walks with a walker,whose foot is probably infected cause she hasn't seen a Dr. in a long time,whose family has abandoned her, whose a HOARDER,she lives in filth and urine and feces,and she's in complete DENIAL,about her current health and living condition,and she's a NJ STATE WORKER whose been employed for over 40 yrs and is currently still working.