How To Make The Nursing Home Feel Like Home

One of the many thoughts going through the mind of your relative as you reach the decision to take them to a nursing home is the feeling of being away from home. Moving away from friends and family will be very hard for them.

You must help your relative to create the feeling the nursing home is still and will be home for them. You must endeavour to create an atmosphere of care and love that was present in the home your relative is leaving.

How can you make a nursing home like a real ‘home’ for your relative?

• Visit the person in the nursing home as often as you are able. Normally, the days tend to be ‘long’ for many residents. So, spend quality time at the nursing home with them. It is advisable you spread the visit throughout the week instead of spending one long ‘hours’ once a week. You can make it fifteen to thirty minutes a day. Your relative will appreciate it. 
  
• Take your relative out on a treat. Don’t limit your visit to the nursing home alone. Take them out to an interesting place that they will really love visiting. Let your relative see the ‘outside’ world instead of restricting them to the home. However, make sure that the home is aware of your trip.
  
• Buy gifts for your relative. Many older people think they have been abandoned and visited once a while. This is absolutely wrong! Make sure you get a gift for your relative when visiting the nursing home. Remember their birthday, wedding and so on. Get them a surprise gift and make them happy.
  
• Keep them current and up to date with events in the family. Don’t keep them in darkness. Ensure they are aware of birthday, wedding and other wonderful ceremonies at home. If possible, get all those events in photos or preferably in video for them to watch. This will no doubt make them happy that though they are far away, they are still ‘around’ in the home. 
  
• Provide them with a radio. Make sure it is tuned to their favourite station if they cannot do it for themselves. Or better still, get a staff informed of the radio and let hime or her help in tuning it to their favourite station.
  
• If you discover the nursing home does not have a Television or the one provided is for all the residents which makes your relative unable to watch his or her favourite program, then get a T.V for him or her and let the staff help in tuning to their favourite program.
  
• Talk with them but don’t bore them with endless empty conversation. Many older people want to be listened to. Make sure you talk with them always during your visit. Never be in haste to leave them. They will feel unloved and unwanted. 
  
• Bring interesting books for your relative to read. They may not be able to read your own type of novels but you can get them large print books with lots of pictures if that's what they like.
  
• Buy them motivational CDs. Instead of watching the sunrise and sunset, let them receive new vigour for the day by listening to their pastor’s sermon on a mobile cd player.

It is possible to make a nursing home a real ‘home’ for your relative by carrying out the above simple tasks. It is all aimed at making life worth living for your relative instead of him or her wishing away the endless days.