What can we do to maintain the well-being of our senior citizens in nursing homes?

There is a new movement in elder care called the Greenhouse project. It is the brainchild of Dr. William Thomas. His goal is to abolish "nursing homes" as we now know them. I work at a Greenhouse in Lincoln Nebraska, the second to open in the country. A greenhouse is a home not an institution. At my house we have 9 elders each with their own private room and bathroom. I am what is called a "Shahbaz" or universal caregiver. We do all personal cares, functional maintainence or wellness, cooking, cleaning etc. The system is unique because the elders direct their care. If they want to sleep till noon they can. We cook for them so they eat what they want when they want. Next door there is an intergenerational daycare center and we get to borrow the kids whenever we want. Children and pets are always welcome. I have worked at nursing homes and hated them. I loved the elders but the traditional nursing homes are very cold and inpersonal. Every day seemed like an assembly line wake 'em feed'em put 'em back to bed. Baby boomers are demanding more for their parents because they want more for themselves and its about time! Our elders will stay with us until their death. They LIVE their elderhood in a world without call lights, in a world of peace and quiet except for the constant laughter that fills our house. We have a garden in progress right now with an 101 year old growing spinach and tomatoes. Elders have much insight to offer. Who better to ask than those who have seen it and lived it?
If you work in elder care you should really read Dr. Thomas's book called "What are Old People For? How Elders will Save the World"
There really is no need for "nanny-cams" just a new approach to have we love our elders.

Not put them in one i seen what happiens in there i would rather kill myslef then to go back

Visit. Be observant of their care. Let them tutor school children. Make them as much a part of the community as our children, they are an asset that, sadly, few people value these days.

All that wisdom - and so few wanting to avail themselves of it.

whatever happened to 2 parents raising 5 children or 8 or 2 or even 1? why are we all putting our parents other than selfishness in nursing homes anyway unless they need 24hr round the clock care herein lies the real problem we dont need better nursing homes we need grown adult children who should take up the responsibility of caring for their aging parents just like they do in every other country around the world EXCEPT us!

well if you know of any visit them regularly and ask them how they are doing,send them gifts of PJ's,robes,bath accessories,cards on holidays,takes one to lunch or shopping,just by showing you care is all they ask and is what is needed for them.

Give them worthwhile jobs, real purpose to life, without giving them deadlines or holding unrealistic expectations (remember, they're old!). Let them pass on all the knowledge they've acquired over their lifetimes. Take care of all of them as well as they took care of all of us at some point. Show them respect and let them keep their dignity. Bake them brownies. Get them a cat. Ask their advice.

Sad to say, our nursing homes are for the most part, nothing more than warehouses for the elderly. They pay the nurses aides so poorly that you are getting inferior care. I had my eldest sister in a brand new facility, and she was treated with indifference. For myself, I have decided that if and when I get to the point that I can no longer care for myself, I would rather pull my own plug than go to a Nursing Home.

Elderly abuse in senior citizen homes are getting more heard of. The elderly are just as vulnerable as babies, especially if they have mental frailties due to advanced years and complicating health issues.

We owe a lot to our elderly. Time to really pay them back when they need us most, especially when they are no longer aware of their needs.

One of the things we should institute is having online cameras in nursing homes and senior facilities, except in private areas, especially the bathrooms. An online monitoring service to conduct ramdon checks or monitoring should be in place for every x number of patients or clients or nursing homes. Family members should have access to these monitoring systems as well. Given today's technologies, this is not at all difficult to set up. It might be scary for many, usually the nursing homes and senior citizen facilities, but this will put a major deterrent in the continuance of elderly abuse and neglect. Remember, our time will come too, and sooner than we want :-) Cameras in child care facilities have proven quite effective in dettering chld abuse, why not in elderly facilities? The elderly are just as helpless as our very young.

Family members should take keen and genuine interest in the welfare of their family members in nursing homes, their health conditions, doctors' visits, medications, health care, etc., and should continually confer with care givers and medical professionals attending to their loved ones. They should conduct their own investigations on the health conditions of their loved ones, other than what is reported to them. They should check for sores on the bodies of their loved ones, espcially those that are on diapers, for these could be signs of sub-par care. The web is a rich resource of information. Second and third opinions of other medical professionals oftentimes prove quite helpful and fruitful and should be sought out as well.

Family members and social workers should stay vigilant in ensuring that proper care, nutrition, cleanliness, and courteous and caring treatment of their seniors are done. Check for bruises and any changes in attitudes. Nursing homes should not smell!!! Unannounced and surprise visits should be done by family members and social workers. Family members of elderly folks in the same nursing homes should work together, take turns in conducting surprise visits, and exchange notes, especially those whose elderly could no longer articulate or are aflicted with memory lapses and could no longer be a reliable source of information.