When Is It Time to Move Your Loved One to a Care Facility? 

By: Clare Absher RN, BSN

A family is often faced with the difficult decision of when it is the right time to move a loved one to a care facility such as a assistive living or possibly a nursing home.

Each family situation is very different and it may help you to answer some of the following questions when considering this decision?

• Can your loved one move about safely in home including negotiating stairs, getting in and out of bathroom and narrow doorways?
• Have frequent falls become a problem recently and if so is she/he willing and able to use an assistive device such as a walker or quad cane?
• Does your loved one have and use necessary safety equipment such as raised toilet frames, bath tub seats, and personal emergency devices?
• Have any accidents occurred recently with appliances in home such as the stove or forgetting to turn it off properly?
• If loved one smokes, has she or he had any accidents such as burn holes in clothing or bedding?
• In the event of a fire, do you feel your loved one would follow appropriate emergency measures including calling 911 and leaving premises?
• Is your loved one bathing regularly and able to maintain adequate hygiene including grooming such as hair washing, shaving and oral care?
• Is your loved one changing clothes daily or has he or she developed the habit of wearing the same dirty ones over and over again?
• Has your loved one become progressively dependent with more ADLs recently? (eating, dressing, bathing)
• Does you loved one allow outside help when needed to come in and help with personal care, housekeeping chores, and meal preparation?
• Are you able to find qualified home care assistants in your area to relieve you of some caregiving responsibilities?
• Has he or she or become easily threatened or suspicious of others, taking medications, or eating certain foods?
• Is your loved one eating properly, suffered recent weight loss, dehydration or has simply refusing to eat become a problem?
• Is your loved one taking medications on schedule, following correct dosages, and willing to use an organizer/reminder device if necessary?
• Has your loved one gotten lost or unable to remember personal information such as address, phone number, contacts that enable them to return home?
• Are your caregiver duties causing you to be sleep deprived, miss a lot of work, or be unable to manage other household responsibilities?
• Is the amount of home care assistance needed likely to become so great that it is not an affordable option for your family?
• Is your loved one willing to participate in an adult day care program to relieve some of family caregiving responsibilities?
• As a primary caregiver, is your health at risk or neglect of other family matters causing serious problems?
• As a primary caregiver, do you have the support you need and are others in your family willing to help out?
• Answering yes to some of these questions does not necessarily mean that your loved one must be relocated to a care facility. However if you determine that many of your answers are yes, then it is possible that having your loved one remain at home is no longer a viable option.

Source: carepathways.com

Heritage Enterprises Inc.
115 W. Jefferson St., Suite 401
P.O. Box 3188 
Bloomington IL 61702-3188
PH: (309) 828-4361  
FAX: (309) 829-5477