Be on the Lookout for these Red Flags when Choosing a Nursing Home

Relocating your elderly loved one to a nursing home means he or she can be surrounded by others. You are probably going to focus on the security/safety, quality of care, food and others when starting to scout around for an appropriate nursing home to provide proper aged care for your elderly loved one. Normally, all these are a given in most aged care homes Melbourne or any part of the AU has today.

But still, choosing a nursing home is anything but easy. Things on the Internet and other sources like nursing home ratings might give you an overall idea of the different services the many aged care facilities Melbourne has to offer. Many important factors like staffing, sanitation and security can be checked more accurately by visiting the places in person. Once you do get to walk around the nursing home, here are some red flags that you should watch out for:

Do you hear a lot of loud noises?

Listen actively when walking through the nursing home’s doors and hallways. Is it noisy? Is it chaotic? Better functioning organizations that offer aged care should give off a calm and not a chaotic atmosphere. Elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can be disturbed with the facility’s loud overhead paging. And this will cause an enhanced agitation.

Do you see displays of disrespect around?

Observe how the staff, nurses and residents interact with each other. The way they communicate and handle disputes can reflect a lot on how your elderly loved one’s life will be like if they will stay at a long-term aged care facility. Other little things, like if the nurses know the residents’ names or how they respond, can help you get a clearer picture of what’s in store for your elderly loved one.

Do you see the administrators often or are they always not around?

Aside from the facility’s staff, watching the administrators in action is also crucial. Are the facility’s administrators stressed out? Are they often overseeing their staff? Are they interacting with the residents in a good way? These administrators should always be accessible and open to your questions, too since they will be your contact person on matters with your elderly loved one.

Are there many choices of things they can do for leisure?

If anything, moving in a long-term care facility strips your elderly loved one of his or her autonomy and independence. That is why it is imperative that the facility gives them choices on how to spend their free time as they live their days in the nursing home. Assortment should not be limited to the mere changes of clothes, but also how they spend their leisure time. Is there variety in the activities scheduling?

Are there flexible and/or reasonable visiting hours set?

Unlike the private home care, the visiting hours at a nursing home is quite limited as to not disturb the tranquility of the place. But the scheduling should be flexible. And they should allow relatives to join the elderly loved one for a meal or activity. For more details, just visit http://arcare.com.au/residential-aged-care-at-arcare/