Deciding Between Aged Care Facilities Is Never Easy: These Suggestions Can Help
When the need arises for you or a loved one to enter an aged care facility, the decision that needs to be taken can be stressful and emotional for everyone in the family. As we age, our bodies get weaker, and a slight slip or fall might cause some serious damage. Moreover, the risk is increased when an elderly person lives alone because there is no one around to help them, and they might not be able to reach the phone to call for help. If you are about to make this decision, first, you need to know what to look for in an aged care facility to ensure a safe and enjoyable stay. Read on to learn what you need to look for in an aged care facility to make the decision easier for you.
Pay the Place a Visit
Most aged care facilities have glossy brochures and presentable websites with nice pictures of the place and surroundings, however, that is not enough. You need to go there yourself and make sure that everything is as presented and promised on their website. Moreover, your visit should take longer than 5 minutes as you need to inspect the place thoroughly and ask all the questions you want about the staff and the facility. The air should feel and smell fresh, and the residents should look happy. If you were prohibited from entering a specific space or area, that is not a good sign. A safe aged care facility should have nothing to hide, and the staff should be open to all of your inquiries and as transparent as possible. Look at the furniture and the toilets to make sure everything is clean and not damaged.
Check Out the Menu
The menu and the quality of food are some of the most important indicators of how safe and caring the place is. When visiting the facility, ask to see the menu and see what they offer their residents. Moreover, check out if they respect different cultural and religious preferences. For example, if someone is vegan, getting old doesn’t mean that they should be forced to change their preference, or if someone doesn’t eat a specific type of food because their religion prohibits it, then this should be respected too. Stay long enough till it is meal time to see how they serve food and inspect the quality of food. It is better to check out the kitchens too, to make sure that the hygiene level is up to the standards. Also, ask if there is a kitchenette where residents can make themselves a cup of coffee or a quick bite.
Accreditation and Training
Don’t hesitate to ask about the facility’s accreditation and compliance reports, as this is your right. In some countries, there are no laws regulating residents-to-staff ratios so you need to ask about it. However, there is no specific rule about what makes a good ratio, so visit other facilities and see what could work best for you. Also, make sure to ask if the residents are cared for by the same staff regularly or not. Experts at Melbourne care facilities recommend that you seek a place with a deep understanding and commitment to create relationship-focused care. It is always better to have familiar faces caring for elderly people most of the time.
Activities
When you visit an aged care facility, they should show you their activities calendar. However, that doesn’t mean that it is actually applied, so you need to see it for yourself. Ask if the activities are administered by trained professionals or not. The activities should be diverse and fun to match all of the residents’ preferences. A good aged care facility would create surveys about their activities to collect information from residents about which ones they found enjoyable and which ones they didn’t like to change their plan based on this information. Finally, check the visit times, make sure that you can check in on your loved ones regularly.
Living in an aged care facility doesn’t have to be a sad experience, you just need to choose the right one for you, or for your loved ones. Living in a good aged care facility should be safe, fun, and enjoyable. Take your time before choosing the right one, and do not hesitate to ask all the questions that need to be asked. An aged care facility’s policy should be transparent with nothing to hide. As scary and stressful as the transition from a person’s home to an aged care facility can be, sometimes it is necessary. When you choose the right place, it becomes a new beginning with new social connections, where everything is within reach; instant medical care, activities, food, and beautiful gardens to spend your day at.
