Conversations about nursing facilities are bound to occur with seniors that are considering all their options regarding growing older. They might not know everything about nursing facilities, what they offer, and what they don’t offer. They might hear good things, or bad things regarding the facilities, as well. Whatever options you’re considering, it is important to know all the options that you have at your disposal. Here are both, the pros and the cons for nursing facilities.
Pros of Nursing Facilities:
- You’re given a clean room, with a comfortable bed and you can bring most of your belongings with you, if you choose. Some facilities even have small apartments that you can live in, that allow for continued independence, for as long as you are able.
- Routine, around the clock care is available, just in case something does happen. This is especially convenient for patients with chronic health issues. There’s always medical personnel on duty.
- There are scheduled events, activities and crafts that happen throughout the day, so there is no need to look for something to do. In many facilities, there are plenty of opportunities to continue your social life and keep busy.
- They serve three meals a day, and provide snacks for those that are living within the facility. You never have to cook if you choose not to. In most cases, there will be a nutritionist that can make sure that special diets can be adhered to, like a diabetic or low sodium diet, for example.
- You can make many friends that are around your age, and participate in activities you have in common. There are often social gatherings, such as Bingo nights, dances, tournaments, formal dinner parties, and a variety of other activities that might fit well with your interests.
- Your insurance might be able to cover some of the costs of staying within the facility. Each insurance coverage is different, but often, with the help of insurance, it can make assisted living more affordable. It’s an option worth looking into.
Cons of Nursing Facilities:
- You might not feel as if you have as much freedom or independence as you once did. In many facilities, everything is done on a schedule, and you may have nurses and other care providers coming in all the time to check on you. You also must be signed out in order to leave the premises so that they can know where you are at all times. Every facility varies and the rules may be different. It’s important to know what you’re signing up for, especially in the long term.
- You may only have certain visiting hours, and random people are usually not allowed to drop in to visit you—they must be on the approved list. Again, this varies by facility. Some facilities allow for its residents to have more freedom than others. It’s important to consider visiting hours when researching facilities.
- The nurses and other care staff might make you stick to the schedule, even if you do not want too. This may be dependent on your medical needs, the facility, and a number of other factors.
- There might be items that are prohibited from the rooms, such as televisions and so on that you might like to have. Check with the facility to determine the rules.
- There are many stories going around about seniors being abused within these facilities. While not all of them are like this, it still makes seniors cautious about entering into any of them for the remainder of their lives. Research is critical before moving forward.
There are many pros and cons, but depending on what you’re looking for in a place, these places can provide a lot of comfort and entertainment to those that want more than just aging in place. If you’re not able to cover the costs of your mortgage, or your rent and your insurance will cover most of the costs of the facility, then this might be the best way for you to go. Every situation is different, and you might want something different, but ultimately it is your choice on whether or not this is something you want to do.