What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words “nursing home’?
Is it depressing, boring, sterile or impersonal?
This stereotype stemmed from outdated models of long term care facilities and memories of loved ones who entered these facilities. Memories or stories of staying in a hospital-like environment, cafeteria-style food and boring activities such as card games and bingo are some of the reasons why individuals resist moving to this type of facility.
Fortunately, there’s a grass root effort aimed to transform outdated nursing homes to facilities that are patient-centered. The future of long term care industry is bright thanks to new models of nursing homes are slowly emerging in the long term care industry. These facilities are designed to maximize dignity, independence and personal choice among residents.
This time around, your loved ones can experience facilities that homey, uplift their spirits and enhances their social skills. Here are some trends that are changing the landscape of the long term care industry and improving the experience of residents.
Top Trends in Long Term Care Facilities
Fine Dining
Who would have thought that you could order room service in a long term care facility? To top that, residents can also experience fine dining. It’s just like they’re staying in a 5-star hotel.
These latest long term care trends allow residents to live their lives and enjoy it instead of just eating to maintain their health. They can order from a daily menu, a waiter will serve them and they can even get a table for their family and friends.
Aside from the service, the food itself makes them feel that they are eating at a restaurant. Instead of paper plates, the food will be served on porcelain plates. Plus, tables are decorated and arranged just like how restaurants would do it.
Food quality is also much better than the unappetizing cafeteria food
Salon and Spa
A new haircut or a day in a spa is definitely a sure way to brighten someone’s day inside a facility. You’ve read it right. There are some nursing homes that offer onsite spa and salon now.
This is perfect for residents who have a hard time walking or driving but want to go an extra mile in taking care of their body and appearance. Even if they’re inside the facility, they can still do usual things such as going to the salon and spa, which is really great in helping them live with dignity.
Physical Therapy
Age doesn’t matter when it comes to exercising. In fact, seniors should move around and use their muscles on a regular basis in order to retain their strength. If not, then they’ll become more at risk for accidents and falls due to lack of movement and exercise.
With this need among seniors, another long term care trend that is slowly emerging is having a wellness center inside the facility. Some facilities now have physical therapists onsite to prevent falls and counteract muscle deterioration, and gym equipment like dumbbells and treadmills.
Long term care facilities may also offer other exercises such as tai chi and yoga. These activities can be modified to make sure that residents with limited mobility can also participate.
Occupational Therapy
Another emerging trend is having an occupational therapist onsite. This kind of therapy can help improve their physical skills, social aspects and psychological aspects of their lives.
This type of therapy is also suitable for residents with Parkinson’s disease or Dementia going through stroke recovery. The work of an occupational therapy also extends to helping residents learn to use new medical equipment that can help them complete their daily task, manage their finances, improve their socialization skills and create their own goals inside the facility.
Gardens
One emerging nursing home industry trend is having gardens that create opportunities for residents to connect and engage with other residents.
Gardening is also a great activity or exercise for seniors to retain or improve their strength, which is actually good in preventing falls and injuries. Residents with cognitive conditions such as Dementia can also benefit from gardens, which allows them to interact and express their creativity.
Entertainment
One of the goals of nursing homes is to make sure that all residents are happy by providing them with entertainment. Forget about stale games like bingo, card games, and board games because new kinds of entertainment are emerging.
Some long term care facilities now have onsite movie theaters that are equipped with projector screens, reclining chairs and there might be some popcorn too.
Musical entertainment plays an important role in some lives of residents particularly those with Alzheimer’s. Residents can also enjoy listening to music while having their fine dining or they can also dance and sing along while the music is playing.
Technology
To keep up with trends in long term care facilities, some nursing homes now have included technology in the services they offer. Through technology, residents can now keep in touch with their loved ones any time of the day through the free Wi-Fi offered inside the facility.
Those with Alzheimer’s can also benefit from technology. Nursing homes can make use of apps that can help create familiarity for residents with cognitive condition through music, photos, and films.
Technology is also used to ensure the safety of residents by installing fall alarms and making residents wear tracking necklaces or button-push fall alarms. These devices will let the staff know where the resident is at all times and in case of falls help can be called right away.
Personalized Apartments
In response to traditional nursing homes that are costly – $100,317 for a private room in a nursing home, the long term care industry introduces private and personalized apartments that consider both the needs and preferences of the senior residents. These new living spaces offer both comfort and security.
Socialization
According to a research by the University of California San Francisco, more than 40% of older adults are lonely, which increases the risk of developing serious health problems and even death. This is actually one of the problems in long term care facilities. To counter this, some long term care facilities are lenient with the visiting hours and cultivates socialization among residents, friends and family members. With this new trend, nursing home residents will have greater self-esteem, improved overall health, and longer lifespan.
Transportation
Most seniors skip their doctor’s appointment because of limited access to transportation. In response to this, nursing homes now offer their residents transportation to their doctor’s appointment. They can also use this service when going to church, family events or going out for lunch.
Final Thoughts
The future of the long term care industry is very bright marked by these emerging trends in the industry. Some long term care facilities have already adopted some of these trends and hopefully, others would follow. Through these trends, your aging loved ones will get the high-quality care they deserve and live their lives based on their preference.
If you want to maintain the quality of your life in your golden years, then better start planning for long term care now. We can help you plan ahead by providing you with unbiased advice so you can determine the perfect policy for your future care needs. Start protecting yourself and your family by getting your free quote online now.