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When is it the “Right Time” for Professional Care?

The answer to the question is different for everyone, depending on their needs and special circumstances. Sometimes immediate placement into a skilled nursing facility is necessary, such as if someone suffers a severe stroke or needs intensive rehabilitation. Other times, it is a decision that needs to be made after a long, chronic disease such as Alzheimer’s, when it is no longer safe for the person to be left without supervision.

Residents have a wide array of needs. Some simply need help with bathing, toileting and dressing, while others may have much more intensive needs. The appropriateness of a nursing facility depends on the family and patient’s ability to care for the patient’s need.

Here are some sample circumstances for times in which people decide it is the "right time" for a nursing home or assisted living:

  • Your loved one requires more attention, interaction, and companionship than can be provided at home.
  • Your father is getting out of the hospital but still needs help with his full recovery to build strength and endurance.
  • Your mother is getting out of the hospital but due to financial concerns or family time constraints, such as work, returning home would not be appropriate because of the care that she needs.
  • Your loved one’s doctor determines that his or her medical condition requires the skilled nursing services of a nursing home.
  • The care that is required for your loved one is too much for the family to handle at home and home health care services are prohibitively expensive.
  • Your loved one develops mental syndromes, including dementia, requiring ongoing care and services.
  • Your loved one’s ability to perform activities of daily living diminishes (ability to bathe, dress, groom, transfer, walk, toilet, eat, speak, communicate).
  • Your loved one chooses for his or her own reasons to live in a nursing home.
  • You are concerned about your loved one’s safety while he or she lives at home alone.
General Reasons for Admission Percent*
Required more care than household members could give 77.7
Problems in doing everyday activities 74.9
No one at home to provide care 64.9
Not enough money to pay for nursing care at home 39.9
Recuperation from surgery or illness 35.4

*PerPercent do not add up to 100% because resident may have had more than one reason for admission to nursing home.

Source: http://www.nursinghomereports.com/

Medical Reasons that Elderly Americans Enter Skilled Nursing Facilities