5 Reasons You Will Be Placed in a Nursing Home and 5 Ways to Avoid “The Move”
Hey Team,
Before I get into today's topic, I need to give you a little backstory about myself. Early in my career, I switched from the outpatient physical therapy setting to a home health setting. Overall, this was an excellent experience because I met great people in this community… in the comfort of their homes. Also, I enjoy driving, enjoying the different scenery, and listening to podcasts. What's a podcast? Yep! I can read your mind. Anyway, I enjoyed the home health setting because I saw individuals who were between healthcare settings. These people were not at a deficit requiring them to admit into a skilled nursing facility. Still, they could not safely or efficiently travel to an outpatient clinic. Reflecting on this experience made me review why people went to the nursing home versus staying in the safety of their own homes.
A skilled nursing facility is a healthcare setting with licensed professionals available to care for a patient's needs. For example, each facility is equipped with a Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Dieticians, Social workers, and sometimes counselors. These dedicated individuals are present and willing to help with any healthcare, social, mental, or physical need a patient may require. People will be admitted to a nursing facility annually, but the reasons may vary.
5 REASONS YOU WILL BE IN A NURSING HOME
#1. Safety: Being able to transfer from sitting to standing or walking is essential. If a person cannot perform this safely due to weakness, lack of mobility, a recent medical procedure, or fatigue, they will require nursing home assistance.
#2. Medical: A medical procedure can be very taxing on the body and require assistance to walk, transfer or perform the essential function. Many family members or partners cannot lift or assist due to their own physical limitations.
#3. Cognitive: A stroke, head injury, medication, or mental limitation can make caring for a person challenging. Assistive care is needed to assist in the management of an individual with cognitive impairments.
#4. Family Support: A person living alone and physically or mentally impaired will require assistance. Without the necessary help, a person cannot live independently.
#5. Transportation: A lack of transportation or physical exhaustion with traveling will create a need for assistive care. If any of the reasons listed above make transporting to medical appointments unreasonable, assistive care is required.
These are some of the most common reasons a person will require a stay at a nursing facility. Each visit can be as short as two weeks to many years, depending on the severity of the common admitting reasons listed above. But equally as important as knowing why a person is placed in these facilities…is learning how to prevent these. Many of the reasons able-bodied individuals will need nursing services is due to the medical factors listed above.
5 WAYS TO PREVENT LIVING IN A NURSING HOME
Improve your strength: Lower body strength is one of the most predisposing factors in a person falling. A fall in the home leading to a significant injury is one major cause of nursing home services. Improving lower body strength is a substantial factor in proactively preventing a nursing home admittance.
Improve your balance: As explained previously, many reasons a person will need nursing services are significant injuries from falling. To prevent a fall, one must improve balance—an essential factor in enhancing your vestibular and proprioceptive systems. The best way to improve these is with specific training focusing on improving the neural system.
Improve home environment: Many falling injuries occur in the home due to the environment around them. Rugs, furniture, and items on the floor are the most significant tripping hazards, creating opportunities for falling. Removing rugs or taping them down will reduce the chances of a severe fall. Picking up all items on the floor, such as clothing or shoes, will make mobility easier. The lack of assistive support also increases the likely hood of falling. For example, handrailing on stairs, a grab bar in the shower, or using a cane or walker can prevent a fall around the home.
Family support: People tend to require skilled nursing assistance secondary to the lack of family support. A mildly compromised person may need nursing assistance due to their inability to continue with these essential services alone. For example, transportation to weekly appointments, medication administration, wound care support, or making a meal. Without family support or caregiver support, a person will not always complete some of these tasks… thus requiring skilled care in a facility.
Improve home accessibility: In the home health setting, I was heartbroken by individuals who would build their dream home and later not live in it. Many people needed to sell their new homes because of the lack of accessibility for a compromised family member. The lack of a downstairs bedroom, walk-in shower, ADA bathroom, and space for a wheelchair in the home often led to the decision to move. We do not know our future, but planning for a time when we may temporarily be compromised and need wheelchair accessibility, will assist in staying in your home versus living in a nursing facility.
Often pictured in the nursing home setting is a person who slowly deteriorates away to the point of needing skilled care. What is more common is the person who has a traumatic fall. Protecting yourself by advancing in lower leg strengthening, balance training, and adaption in your home environment to prevent falling are great ways to avoid unexpected arrival to a nursing facility.
Thanks again Team, for reaching out, asking good questions, and inspiring me to continue to write these Blogs. Your feedback has meant the absolute world to me.
Keep Moving!
• The author, Rob Sumner, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Sumner Specialized Physical Therapy. He's happy to answer any questions about this article, wellness, fitness, or physical therapy overall by phone at (509) 684-5621 or by email at Rob@SumnerPT.com
