3 things nursing home residents need to stay healthy
While it is natural for your parents’ health to deteriorate over time in the nursing home, you would hope not to see a sudden decline.
Residential care facilities do not have the power to turn back the clock and make your parents young again, but they can do things to help your parents stay well.
Activity is crucial to the health in a residential care facility
Here are some of the things that can be good for older adults:
- Socializing: If you find your parent alone in their room every time you visit, you need to work out how much time they spend there. While there is nothing wrong with some alone time, humans need company.
- Physical activity: There is a reason that people spend hundreds of dollars going to the gym, to yoga classes or on running kits. Exercising makes them feel better and keeps their bodies stronger. Your parents might no longer be able to sprint or touch their toes, but they can still walk around. The staff needs to encourage and help them to do so, and the property needs to have places to do so safely.
- Mental activity: If the residents are staring at the TV every time you see them, it is not a good sign. The brain is a muscle, and if you do not use it, it deteriorates. Quizzes, whist drives and other such activities can all help keep residents mentally fit.
If you think the nursing home is not doing enough, then speak to the supervisors. If they do not change things, you may need to look at further options to hold them responsible for their actions.