MY friend, Ann (not her real name), recently asked me if I knew of any nursing home that she could send her mother to. I was puzzled by her question. I thought her mum was still fairly young and well. And then she explained.
Her mother was scheduled for a major surgery at a public hospital where she was allowed to stay for only a few days. Upon her return, she’d need full time nursing, care and would have limited mobility until her stitches were removed.
Ann said in a busy hospital like the one her mother went to, she didn’t have the privilege of a long stay. That was something you could do at private hospitals where you just need to pay for the services and facilities.
So before her mother went for surgery, Ann looked at several places nearest to her home. She said there was no way her mum could recuperate well at home because they had no house help, there were small children in the house as well as pets too. This wasn’t conducive for her mother’s recovery because she needed peace, quiet and plenty of rest. Ann could only take a week off from work.
In fact, the quest for a nursing home was her mother’s wish. Ann said her mum felt better and more confident at the thought that there’d be professional staff nurses taking care of her, and that the doctor was just a phone call away at this nursing home, which was very near the hospital in case of emergency. Besides, it would only be for a month while she recovered from surgery.
After visiting a few places, Ann said there was big difference in the different types of homes. A nursing home is different from an old folks’ home and from an assisted living facility too.
DIFFERENCES IN THE TWO
A nursing home is essentially for people who need help with medication, hygiene and meals because they may be bed-bound or have just undergone surgery. They may require round-the-clock care and monitoring that could be done outside the hospital. Some stroke patients have also gone to nursing homes after being discharged from the hospital until they’re more able to return home. It was like a halfway house.
An assisted living facility and home for old folks have been used interchangeably. However, those who go to assisted living facilities usually have a higher functional ability than those who go to old folks’ home, many of whom are wheelchair-bound.
So when you’re looking at the different places, you should have an idea what it is you’re looking for and what services you expect.
In Ann’s case, she was looking for a short-term place that’s a step down from a hospital but still has nurses looking after patients. Nursing homes such as these are common in many other countries where hospital care and expenses can be exorbitant and when there are limited beds.
Ann’s family had two other options — to go to a private hospital and stay for the entire duration necessary (which would be for nearly three weeks), or to hire a private nurse to come daily and care for her mum at home. Neither suited her because both these options were too expensive and not practical.
So it was a real blessing when they found a nursing home that offered a single room just like a single room at a private hospital, 24-hour nursing care, dress and clean her surgical wound, bathe and dress her, dispense her medications as well as take her vitals like blood sugar level and blood pressure.
ROAD TO RECOVERY
This nursing home also provided meals and snacks, but since her mum wanted “pantang” food, Ann brought those from home on a daily basis.
“They’d also do her laundry for a small fee,” said Ann. “I can do most of the daily chores to help, but I don’t know how to clean her wound or take care of her catheter. And I’m certainly not qualified to give medication via injections.”
With regards to the care that her mum received at the nursing home, Ann said she and her father were happy with the services provided. “There were days when mum said she was lonely and homesick. But that was mainly because she had the whole room to herself and wasn’t mobile. When she was at the hospital, she had other patients sharing the room with her.”
However, Ann’s mum is more mobile now that her stitches have been removed. She joins in with the other patients to watch television together, socialise and sometimes has meals with them.
Ann said her mum decided to stay there for the entire month and recuperate at the nursing home. “She likes her room, which she chose for herself before getting admitted,” said Ann. “It was important for her to make these decisions herself. She knew what she wanted and what to expect. When she recovered and felt well, she was eager to go home.”
Putri Juneita Johari volunteers for the Special Children Society of Ampang. She can be reached at juneitajohari@yahoo.com.