What Are the Signs That Your Parent Needs a Nursing Home?

The signs that your parent needs a nursing home include worsening health conditions, inability to care for themselves, frequent falls, failure to manage medication and memory loss. If you’re currently providing the care your parent needs at home, it could be time to consider a nursing home if you’re experiencing caregiver burnout or can no longer provide the level of care your parent needs. Nursing homes provide 24-hour supervision and care for people with health conditions or disabilities requiring more advanced care. Analyzing your parent’s situation helps you determine if they need that level of care.

When you’re close to someone or have served as their caretaker, it can be difficult to notice a decline to the point of needing a nursing home environment. Sometimes it takes a major event, such as a fall, to help you realize your parent needs additional support. Other times, the small things add up until you notice that your loved one needs skilled nursing care.

Physical and mental decline causing safety issues are often an indicator of the need for nursing home care. Your parent might have a chronic or progressive illness that needs constant monitoring or makes it difficult for them to handle daily tasks. An Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis can also be the reason for choosing a long-term care facility. Memory care units are built with security in mind while allowing residents to have as much independence as possible. Some people go to nursing homes temporarily while they recover from an injury or surgery.

It’s often easy to determine your parent needs some type of care to keep them safe. This usually happens when their personal care habits, health condition management or home maintenance starts to slip. You might recognize they’re no longer safe living at home, or they’re at a higher risk for injuries, health concerns or exploitation from others. However, nursing homes aren’t the only care option if your parent isn’t safe at home alone. If the signs they need help aren’t as severe or urgent, assisted living could be an option. This could work for a parent who only needs help with personal care, including dressing or using the restroom. Your parent can get the amount of support they need while enjoying a maintenance-free lifestyle.

Home care can be an option if your parent wants to age in place. Caregivers can provide varying levels of care, from personal care to more advanced medical care. However, you might also need to make modifications to the home to make it safe and accessible if your parent has disabilities or limited mobility. A nursing home can be a more convenient option with more services and access to varied medical care as your parent declines cognitively or physically.