Moving your loved ones into a nursing home is not an easy decision. However, sometimes you don’t have the facilities to look after the older person in your household and need to move them into a suitable facility.
Before you make this shift, you must learn how nursing homes function. The purpose of a nursing home is to look after older residents with the utmost care and respect. Since these facilities come under federal and state laws, nursing homes have a certain standard to uphold.
But despite these laws in place, you still need to check up on the older person you put into these homes and ensure they are cared for. The scarce resources, lack of staff, and poor funding make it hard for nursing homes to provide the best care for your loved ones. Hence, when you move them into their supervision, here are some factors you should never expect them to carry out:
What rights does a resident have in a nursing home?
When you shift your loved one to a nursing home, they are entitled to certain rights. This includes adequate care, attention, and access to facilities like the cafeteria, bathroom, and medication. They are also allowed visitation, so while meeting your loved ones, keep their rights in mind and ensure they are not facing neglect.
The minute you see signs of physical assault, egregious violations like sexual abuse, or observe a noticeable drop in weight, you can report them. You can consult legal entities and hold the nursing home and its staff accountable for their mistreatment if needed. Hence, if you are wondering, can you sue a nursing home for neglect, the short answer is yes, you can. You are in the green as long as you have evidence, proof, and receipts to submit a legitimate claim. If you have a case in your hands, you should speak to a lawyer immediately and start suing.
What can a nursing home not do?
According to federal laws, nursing homes cannot discriminate against their residents based on gender, religion, ethnicity, or any other protected class. They also cannot misuse their authority and abuse their residents. But, in terms of providing detailed care and monitoring a resident, nursing homes have certain limitations. Don’t expect them to care and support your loved one the way you do. Instead, familiarize yourself with things nursing homes cannot handle. The details are as follows:
1. Monitor medicare coverage
If your loved one uses insurance like Medicare, it is not the nursing home’s responsibility to keep tabs on the Medicare benefits used in the patient’s care. The coverage Medicare provides is complicated to understand. The insurance may pay for a stay altogether and then only pay a percentage of the total for an extended stay after a while. Once this limit crosses, the patient must pay for the entire bill unless they have some other coverage or have signed up for long-term insurance.
But, it is not the nursing home’s responsibility to inform the resident if their benefits are ending, and they can continue charging them according to the prescribed amount. The only time the nursing home is allowed to intervene and is authorized to notify the resident if Medicare cuts off the insurance because they believe the resident is medically stable. In such cases, the nursing home has to inform the resident if their Medicare coverage is ending before time, when the payments will stop, and they will need to find another way to keep up with the bills along with an estimate of the total cost. Likewise, the nursing home cannot force you to pay.
2. Cannot provide personalized care
Nursing homes have limited staff. One caregiver may have numerous residents assigned to them. Consequently, you cannot expect the team to drop everything and cater to your loved one’s needs only. Beyond primary care, don’t assume your family member will get special treatment. Caregivers also need time to respond. This is usually when they are busy with another resident and cannot attend to your loved one immediately. As long as your family member is getting their needs met and not pushed aside, they are in good hands.
3. A uniform routine
The routine your loved one follows depends on the nursing home staff. These facilities cannot provide your family member with the same schedule you have at home. This is because caregivers have several residents to attend to, so when they make a timetable, they need to account for all the residents. If you want a nursing home to stick to your routine, you may need to arrange for a personal room or bring them home and pay for a full-time nurse to supervise them.
4. Perfectly do their job
While it may be hard for you, understand that the nursing staff will make mistakes when caring for a patient. This doesn’t mean they’re ill-intended or have some vindication against your older family member. Minute errors happen when the nursing home is overbooked and has too much on its plate. As long as the caregivers are upfront about their mistakes, strive to improve, and inform you if a severe mishap happens, you shouldn’t worry much. There is a chance that even with the nursing staff watching over your family member carefully, they may still fall and injure themselves.
5. Expect miracles
Caregivers are not miracle workers. They cannot cure ailments, ease your family member’s stress, or heal them from their current predicament. All nursing homes can do is support your loved one, help manage their condition better and ensure they get looked after properly. Never put your loved one into a nursing home with the mindset that they will heal overnight and become like their former healthy self. Understand the nursing staff is here to help you take care of your family member and look after their needs.
6. Assume your family member will never adjust
Change is hard. Sending your loved one away can weigh down on you and make it difficult to accept this decision. The same is true for your loved one. Initially, you should expect resistance and during the first few visits, empathize that your family member is finding it daunting to live in a nursing home. But give them time, space, and continue supporting their new life. Eventually, your loved one may start enjoying their new life at the nursing home and make friends along the way. Adjustment is gradual; you must meet it with love, compassion, and patience.
However, if your family member still isn’t happy with their situation after some time, you need to consider alternate options, including looking into a new facility.
Conclusion
Nursing homes are residential facilities that provide care to older people, especially when they cannot look after themselves. When you move your loved one into a nursing home, investigate the facility and examine the laws protecting your elderly family member. This is because even though the primary purpose of a nursing home is to look after your loved one, abuse and neglect still occur behind closed doors. So, by knowing your rights and how the legal bodies can help your family member, you can safely help them start their new life.
On the other hand, you also need to understand that nursing homes have certain limitations as they care for older residents. Therefore, you need to keep your expectations in check and ensure as long as residents get their needs met, you shouldn’t push for more. Don’t hope for perfection, the same standard routine, and miracles. Similarly, don’t expect them to mind your loved one’s insurance coverage, provide specific care or think that your loved one will never be happy in their new environment.
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