Picking a Nursing Home Shouldn’t Be Trial and Error
Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s can be both physically and mentally exhausting. When to place a loved one in a nursing home depends largely on a family’s personal circumstances—there is no right or wrong time to do this. The decision may be based on the level of care, safety needed for the person at home, the declining health of the caregiver, or a combination of these reasons.
The Alzheimer’s Association has developed a checklist of things to look for and questions to ask to assist you in making a decision that will best suit your family’s needs. They suggest visiting several facilities and completing the checklist for each facility you visit. Then compare the answers on each checklist, paying special attention to the areas that are most important to you and your loved one.
Book Recommendation: Understanding Difficult Behaviors
This book was written for caregivers of persons with dementia and is intended to help caregivers understand the many possible explanations for why challenging behaviors may occur. Determining what may be causing or triggering a difficult behavior may help a caregiver figure out ways to prevent the behavior from occurring again. The Alzheimer’s Association praises this resource for its format, specific hard-to-find information, and practical steps recommended when faced with a variety of behaviors.
Born on September 15, 1946, in San Saba, Texas, Tommy Lee Jones was Al Gore's Harvard roommate for four years. Upon graduation, he moved to New York and then to Hollywood—the rest is history. With 1993's The Fugitive, Jones became a household name, and he has followed that role with memorable performances in Men in Black, No Country for Old Men, and Lincoln.
