As the population ages they are requiring more care than ever. Nursing homes have been used as a solution, but they are places no one really wants to be. The long-term care industry is experiencing financial and image difficulties. One can either avoid a skilled nursing facility or hope to find one that is homelike and well staffed as possible. Creative solutions and nursing home alternatives are needed more than ever.
There are some 17,000 skilled care facilities housing about 1.6 million people in the U. S. The trend throughout the twentieth century has been to put our incapacitated elderly into them. Some residents have no one else, and some families have no other choice.
If you ask just about anybody where they want to be for the last years, days, minutes of their lives they would not answer "in an old-folks home." Skilled nursing facilities are seen by many Americans as cold, with crowded wards -- antiseptic and fetid by turns. The aged and infirm lose their independence and dignity and could be subject to neglect or abuse.
Of course, not all skilled care centers are the same and the majority are sincerely dedicated to care for the elderly. It is difficult not view these institutes in just that way; they are institutions at best. The industry in general has been troubled by decreased government payments coupled with an increased documentation requirement, and a shortage of licensed or certified workers.
There are opportunities to spend one's last years at home, or at least in a homelike atmosphere, with at much independence as possible. Home health care and adult day care are just two of many stay-at-home alternatives. Retirement apartments or residential communities are alternative living arrangements designed where the senior citizen can live alone but has services like meals, personal care, housekeeping and others.
There are cases where a person requires too much care or supervision not to be in a more formal institution. The choice must be made to place them in a care-center. There is a movement within the care industry to "normalize" the skilled nursing environment. The introduction of plants and pets and improved access to communication with loved ones outside plus a heightened autonomy and a voice in the running of the facility and policy making wherever the resident is capable and interested.
The need for nursing home alternatives is growing bigger all the time. As our population grows, the baby boomers are growing older and we will have to bring our creativity and ingenuity to bear in caring for our elders. It is said that a measure of the greatness of a society is in how it treats its elders. How history will treat us is something that is everyone's responsibility. As we live longer, let us hope that we can also learn to live better.
There are some 17,000 skilled care facilities housing about 1.6 million people in the U. S. The trend throughout the twentieth century has been to put our incapacitated elderly into them. Some residents have no one else, and some families have no other choice.
If you ask just about anybody where they want to be for the last years, days, minutes of their lives they would not answer "in an old-folks home." Skilled nursing facilities are seen by many Americans as cold, with crowded wards -- antiseptic and fetid by turns. The aged and infirm lose their independence and dignity and could be subject to neglect or abuse.
Of course, not all skilled care centers are the same and the majority are sincerely dedicated to care for the elderly. It is difficult not view these institutes in just that way; they are institutions at best. The industry in general has been troubled by decreased government payments coupled with an increased documentation requirement, and a shortage of licensed or certified workers.
There are opportunities to spend one's last years at home, or at least in a homelike atmosphere, with at much independence as possible. Home health care and adult day care are just two of many stay-at-home alternatives. Retirement apartments or residential communities are alternative living arrangements designed where the senior citizen can live alone but has services like meals, personal care, housekeeping and others.
There are cases where a person requires too much care or supervision not to be in a more formal institution. The choice must be made to place them in a care-center. There is a movement within the care industry to "normalize" the skilled nursing environment. The introduction of plants and pets and improved access to communication with loved ones outside plus a heightened autonomy and a voice in the running of the facility and policy making wherever the resident is capable and interested.
The need for nursing home alternatives is growing bigger all the time. As our population grows, the baby boomers are growing older and we will have to bring our creativity and ingenuity to bear in caring for our elders. It is said that a measure of the greatness of a society is in how it treats its elders. How history will treat us is something that is everyone's responsibility. As we live longer, let us hope that we can also learn to live better.
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Aged care is special - we know of some great aged care facilities that will help you out. Let us give you some more information on this topic.
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