Entering an aged care home
Moving into aged care - emotionsThe unfortunate reality for many people of moving into an aged care facility is that they have already faced many challenges and upheavals in their life before doing so. Usually, a significant decline has occurred in their physical or cognitive (ability to understand things) health and living independently has become such a struggle. It has come to this point, perhaps their families or partner can no longer adequately support them to continue living independently at their home. They have come directly from hospital to aged care following a bad fall or accident. That has indeed reinforced their inability to remain independent at their home.
When an older person or friend needs to move to an aged care home there may be considerable emotional upheaval. It is helpful for the carer to be aware of both the positive and negatives aspects of such a move.
Positive issues
There can be many upsides to moving into an aged care home. In a quality home the staff are caring and compassionate to the new faces and their families. They offer words of support and reassurance that their loved ones will indeed be in good hands. They come to the home to rest and relax and put their feet up - no more hard work for them. Their working days are done, they can rest easy in the assurance of 24-hour care. Staff are trained in all areas of personalised care for all residents. There is focus on ways to reduce stress.Entry to an aged care home can lead to the lifting of a heavy burden because:
Difficulty of maintaining a
tidy home, having to depend on others to help with shopping and other
household chores has now gone;
No obligation to feel bad
about charity because now he/she pays for services;
Lonely hours of boredom have
gone because there is now company;
Routine of home is now varied;
If previously living with a
relative, the instructions associated with the relative’s absence (‘use
the hot water in the thermos, don’t boil the jug’) are now no longer
necessary;
They forgot their medicine
when living alone and suffered because of it;
and,
The aged-care home takes
care of they don’t need to worry if
they die in their sleep because ‘no one would find out’.
Entry to an aged care home may lead to a loss because:
The move means abandoning
their home with all its independence and memories, and perhaps, their
pet;
There may be anger that they
are unable to look after themselves as they once did;
There may be despondency as
they think that the aged-care home is the last place before the grave.
They become fearful of the potential for dementia or disability
While the aged-care home may result in social
contacts they may not be the same as their family and friends they used
to have;
Some fears can be justified.
Not all aged-care homes have staff who give absolute individual
attention, and maybe the staff talk down to them: ‘Have we taken
our medicine today?’;
Some personal privacy that
they had at home may be lacking where some staff or visitors may not
knock before entering, or private conversations (medical, family or
financial issues) may be overheard by other residents. (Sometimes other
residents have nothing else to do but listen to someone else’s
conversation because they do not have the frequency of visits that
others do.)
Maybe the food is not ‘as I
used to cook it’.
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