The conversation and decision to move your loved ones to a nursing home is an important one. But, it can be difficult too. And assisted living isn’t for everyone. Adjusting to their new life in an assisted living facility can be a challenge.
But nursing home facilities are a lifeline for many families. And can provide numerous benefits from having a safe living environment to 24/7 personalized care. You can help your loved ones make the transition much smoother. And ensuring that they’re happy has benefits beyond the obvious.
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Why Is The Happiness Of Your Elderly Loved Ones Is So Important?
There are obvious benefits to helping your nearest and dearest stay on the road to happiness. It’s all the more important for the senior loved ones in your life as it can positively impact their mental and physical wellbeing.
Numerous studies have shown that happiness actually helps slow the negative symptoms and diseases of aging. For example, there’s evidence that happiness can reduce the risk of dementia by up to 50%. According to research from a medical school in Singapore, happy seniors had a 19% lower mortality rate than unhappy elderly people. And being happier gives your loved ones a 44% better chance at recovering from serious disabilities.
The figures don’t lie. Being happy helps the seniors around you. But achieving happiness in a nursing home can feel impossible. A recent study showed that 24% of nursing home residents experienced at least one episode of physical abuse. You might feel like you need to be prepared with a nursing home abuse lawyer above anything else.
So how do we ensure that our parents are safe and happy in their assisted living facility?
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How To Keep Your Parents Happy In Their Nursing Home
Ensuring A Smooth Transition
Making a move into a nursing home can be stressful. However, taking the time to ensure the physical move runs smoothly will go a long way to reducing stress and keeping your parents happy.
The best way to ensure a smooth transition is to make sure your loved ones understand why they’re moving into a home. This saves them from fear because they know exactly what’s happening to them. Bring along memories and things from their current place, so it feels familiar.
Building Key Relationships
In a nursing home, seniors can make rewarding new relationships with their neighbors and carers. Help them to build these relationships, so they feel comfortable in their new surroundings. If they think there’s help available to them, they’ll feel more secure and happier as a result.
Strong relationships with others are known to keep people happier and help to stave off mental decline. You’re included in this too. Make sure to visit often and keep your relationship with them strong. That way, they won’t feel cut off from the outside world.
Participation With Others
To help build up those relationships, encourage your elderly loved ones to participate in activities with other residents. As well as building on relationships, physical and mental exercise will help keep them in shape.
Nursing homes tend to have a huge variety of activities too. So no matter the physical range of the senior, there’s something for everyone to get stuck into. In addition, some facilities can tailor their activities offering to the individual. That way, it’s easy to make sure your parents continue doing the things they love.
Providing Quality Healthcare
Keeping your loved ones healthy is key to keeping them happy. Have a good long discussion with your care provider about what your parents need. And make sure the care home can fulfill those needs. If they can’t, it’s time to look for a nursing home that better suits your loved ones.
