Caring for an ill loved one can be very exhausting.  In some cases, life and health changes of the caregiver may prevent optimum care for the patient as his or her condition changes.  Many family and friends who have taken on the role of caregiver have a sense of obligation to their loved ones and do not look to other available health care services as options.  Skilled nursing care is just one service that can be provided for short-term respite care stays or long-term stays, easing the stress of illness for both the patient and the caregiver.  Patients want what is best for the caregiver, just as a caregiver wants what is best for the patient.  If a break or some assistance in his or her daily duties is what is best for the caregiver, then the patient will benefit too. 

Making a Decision

For some families, the best decision is to keep their loved one at home as long as possible, enlisting friends and family to share the tasks or relying on at-home nursing assistance.  For others, it becomes clear early on that the care receiver and the caregiver will have better quality of life if the care is provided in a nursing center or other supervised situation.  Possible obstacles need to be recognized in order for the decision-maker to make an unclouded decision.  These include love, loyalty, guilt, worry and perceptions of nursing centers. 

A skilled nursing center can offer benefits that an at-home caregiver may not be able to provide, such as 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week nursing care.  With highly trained staff and therapy, dietary and social work services, skilled nursing and rehabilitation teams work to identify and meet the needs of each individual patient.  The team works with doctors, patients and families to create a care plan that works best for a patient.  Just because a person opts to no longer be the primary caregiver of a patient, does not mean that he or she is no longer involved in the patient’s care.

Often as people age, they become isolated.  Frail older people can be at risk for accidents in a home environment.  Residential care settings are designed to be safe for individuals and to provide social stimulation as well.  It is important to plan ahead when searching for the right skilled nursing center.  Give yourself time to check out options, tour buildings, and talk to residents and staff.  Deciding to place a patient in a skilled nursing center should be based on what is best for the patient and the caregiver.  A caregiver should be confident that his or her loved one is receiving care equal to that previously provided.

Short-Term Care

Sometimes a short vacation or break from caregiving is just what a caregiver needs to revive his or her sense of normalcy.  Caregivers need to take time from life’s demands to enjoy a few moments by themselves.  If this is the case, short-term respite stays are available in many nursing centers to give you a sense of security in knowing that in your absence, your loved one is in good hands.  Stays are available for a week, a month or any other desirable time periods.

Short-term stays for rehabilitation are also available for patients recovering from illness, injury or surgery.  Physical, occupational and speech therapy are just a few options available in a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.  Many patients return home after just a short stay with the confidence and abilities needed to live an independent life.

Know the Nursing Center’s Outcomes Success

There are no rules to tell you when the time is right to move your relative to an assisted living, skilled nursing or special care facility.  Every caregiver must make the decision based on his or her unique situation.  Factors that must be considered in such cases include the strength of the primary caregiver, the demands of work and family, the needs of the ill person, the financial and “people” resources available, and the success of the facility in meeting patients’ care goals.

To provide effective medical care and rehabilitation, outcomes -- how well the nursing center meets patient care goals -- must be measured and compared to expectations.  It is vital for patients and their families to examine evidence of the nursing center’s success before making an admission decision.  The nursing center’s clinical team should be able to demonstrate a track record of success in treating patients with your loved one’s diagnosis; evidence of success in improving patients’ self-care independence such as ability to eat, dress and perform personal hygiene; evidence of success in improving patients’ mobility; and evidence that patients and families can rely on the clinical team’s judgment.

Most nursing centers are warm, caring and active places where seniors live and enjoy life.  Organized activities and social opportunities are available to help patients enjoy their stay.  Staff and other residents quickly befriend residents, becoming an extended family.  Nursing centers were not developed because we stopped caring for our parents – they were developed because our parents were outliving our ability to care for them well. 

When deciding on a skilled nursing or other care center, be sure to check that the facility is capable of all necessary medical procedures needed by the patient.  Also, become familiar with accommodations provided, such as organized activities or a barber or beauty shop.  The facility will be your loved one’s home, whether temporarily or permanently.  Remember that oftentimes it is the little things that will make your loved one feel at home.