Absolutely, plus a whole lot more.
If someone has told you or your parent “you are high care you have to go to the nursing home”. STOP and consider ALL your options. Yes, there are options.
Once you sell the family home and move your loved one into a nursing home, there is no going back. Before you lock into the nursing home option think very carefully and consider the following.
“The staff to residents ratio in nursing homes is very LOW. This lack of mandated minimum staff/resident ratios has seen the exodus of experienced nurses from aged-care homes – particularly private-for-profit homes. Those staff who remain, find that they can no longer meet their responsibilities to residents in the available time and resident care is compromised.”
“The people who work there are not bad people – the majority want to do the right thing they just don’t have the time”
Selected nursing home staff comments:-
- “Breakfast 8am – residents are hungry so eat well”
- “Lunch 12 noon – Large meal but residents are not hungry after breakfast”
- “Evening meal- lighter meal e.g. soup and sandwiches and desert. Residents complain of hunger during the night.”
- “Never enough staff to feed as we would like – meal times are always very busy.”
We are able to offer a much higher standard of care for you or your loved one for a number of reasons.
- Nursing homes, on average provide 2.8 hours of direct care per resident, each 24 hour period. Source: Bentley Chartered Accountants Annual Survey of Australian Aged Care Homes 2015. This survey is completed by the nursing homes themselves.
- Our Live in Care service provides 8 hours of assistance and when we provide Pay-by-the hour care it is just one-on-one for the time you book.
- You or your loved one are able to enjoy a greater sense of privacy and joy because you have not been uprooted from your familiar surroundings and the home you love.
- Our Joyful Living Approach™ includes music and many activities designed around the things you or your loved one enjoys.
- We provide deliciously nutritious home cooked meals that suit your taste and appetite, at a time that is most suitable to you.
- There is NO lock in contracts, so the entire family can relax and know we are there to help for as little or as long as you need us.
- We are able to respond quickly to the changing needs of you or your loved one. We can quickly increase or decrease hours of services. We can change service times. We can change service types e.g. over-night care, live in care, registered nurse care.
- We are very experienced with conditions such as ‘reactive behaviours’ that produce behaviours that challenge carers.
Still not sure? Take us for a trial run. Having your partner or parent die gently at home pain free is a lot easier to accept when you have been satisfied that you had the best care in place. Many people make the mistake of thinking that a nursing home placement will reduce their stress, only to discover that it comes with stresses that you can’t change. Make sure you have considered all your options before you make such an important decision.
Call us today to discuss your options (02) 9970 7333