Nursing Home Care: How Your Loved One Still Depends on You

Elderly Monitoring

When your loved one is in a nursing home, you can never be too diligent in ensuring that proper care is given. Even the best facilities occasionally find it challenging to perform elderly monitoring perfectly. As with hospital care, things slip through the cracks from time to time.

When you play an active role in the life of your loved who is in a nursing home, you’re better able to ensure their safety and well-being. Here are five things that you can do to help your loved one have a high quality of life in a nursing home.

Hygiene Checks

Improper hygiene maintenance among nursing home residents is a common complaint. A patient’s attendants may perform elderly monitoring services by protocol, and not detect an unusual case of poor hygiene, such as one that stems from a medical condition, until it becomes readily apparent. Family members who perform frequent checks — preferably in-between the attendants’ checks — help ensure the patient has the dignity of good hygiene.

Location Monitoring

There are numerous cases of seniors wandering away from nursing facilities and getting lost, disoriented, or even hurt. Using a GPS tracker for elderly persons, such as the Belle+ mobile emergency response pendant, makes it possible to be certain your loved one is where they should be. The beauty of this GPS tracker for the elderly is its simplicity when it comes to elderly monitoring and tracking. The pendant can and should be worn 24/7, helping ensure the device is never misplaced.

Doctor’s Orders

If you’re the person who takes your loved to the doctor, you can be a helpful liaison between the nursing home staff and the physician. Quickly advise the doctor of any new health developments in your loved one — including behavioral changes — and be sure that facility staff are fully aware of any new medical requirements. Be especially watchful if your loved one starts a new medication that could have serious side effects. If you notice a serious effect, speak to the doctor and alert nursing home staff as soon as possible, or call for immediate medical assistance if it is an emergency.

Dietary Checks

If your loved one has dietary requirements, it’s a good idea to monitor their food intake to ensure adequate nutrition. Most nursing homes are good at satisfying patients’ dietary needs. But is facility-provided food the only kind your loved one consumes? Do other loved ones visit and thoughtfully bring along favorite treats?

If your loved one is on a diet plan but enjoys family treats, dialogue with your family about what is eaten and when — and be sure that what’s eaten is healthy for your loved one to consume in moderation.

Emotional Support

At the end of the day, simply being emotionally available to your loved one can improve their feeling of well-being. Remote elderly monitoring is valuable and necessary, but spending time in person enriches your loved one’s life by helping them feel connected to the outside world, which they once knew well. Never underestimate how much you can benefit your loved one by simply providing conversation and listening to them share thoughts and concerns.

Contact Us Today

We understand the struggles associated with senior care. Whether your loved one needs a help button, a fall detector, medication management products, or another solution for elderly monitoring, Assisted Living Technologies is here to help. Call (203) 235-TECH (8324) or email us at info@assistedlivingtechnologies.com to tell us your needs. We look forward to helping you care for your loved one.