Moving a loved one into a nursing home can be a strenuous, stressful process. Not only may your loved one mourn the loss of their old home, but it may take them time to adjust to their new environment.
If you want to make the transition easier for your loved one, there are steps you can take to make a skilled nursing facility (SNF) feel more like home.
Bringing Precious Items From Home
Your loved one likely has belongings from home that they want to keep with them when they move. If you can make a list of these items before their transition, you can ensure that said items make their way into your loved one’s new space.
Some SNFs limit the items that your loved ones can bring with them into their new space. Before you make your list of precious items, make sure you know what restrictions the nursing home has in place. It may be difficult to explain to a loved one why some of these items have to remain with other family members. That said, you can work with a nursing home representative to explain the facility’s limitations and protect your loved one’s feelings.
Investing in Air Fresheners and Personal Scents
Scent plays a powerful role in a person’s life. If your loved one got used to using scented candles or certain air fresheners throughout their home, consider bringing some with you when they move.
By filling an unfamiliar room with these comforting scents, your loved ones can feel more comfortable in their new space. Make sure that you replace air fresheners often, though, or that you limit your loved one’s contact with candles or wax melts. The safer you can keep your loved one in a new space, the more comfortable they’ll grow to be.
Keeping Familiar Photos Nearby
Nothing makes someone more comfortable in an unfamiliar space than pictures of their loved ones. Before you move a loved one into an SNF, consider making a collage of precious family photos. You can hang a collage or a collection of pictures by your loved one’s bed for increased comfort.
Decorating for the Holidays
It doesn’t matter what holidays your loved one celebrates. If you can visit with other family members and decorate for the holidays, you can make your loved one’s space feel more like home.
While you must keep a nursing home’s limitations in mind, you can invest in miniature decorations, garlands, and other affordable holiday items that you can transition out throughout the year. Involve your loved one in the shopping process, too, for even more opportunities to personalize a space.
Allowing for Regular Re-personalization
Your loved one may not want their bedroom at a nursing facility to look the same way forever. That said, they may also struggle to reorganize their room when their needs change. With that in mind, make sure your loved one knows that they can call on you for redecoration opportunities.
You can also let your loved ones re-personalize a space by giving them the tools to add their own flair to their room. Paints, pencils, and other drawing materials can let your loved one regularly transform a standard room into a space that they enjoy being in.
Discuss Your Loved One’s Nursing Home Rights With an Attorney
Even when your loved one moves into a nursing home, they retain certain rights. A nursing home that violates these rights can be held accountable for overstepping in civil court. You can discuss how you might best represent the interests of a loved one in a nursing home with one of our attorneys.
Dalli & Marino, LLP, specializes in providing legal guidance to families with loved ones in abusive nursing homes. Whether your family speaks Spanish or English, we can work with you to better understand your loved one’s circumstances. Call (888) 465-8790 or fill out our contact form for more information about your right to bring a civil suit against your loved one’s nursing home.
