Nursing Home Myths

"Oh no, not a nursing home!"  You've probably heard, and maybe believe, one or more of these misconceptions about nursing homes:
Nursing Home Myths

"Oh no, not a nursing home!"  You've probably heard, and maybe believe, one or more of these misconceptions about nursing homes:
Nursing homes are full of crazy old people.
                    Nope, neither part of that one is true.  I've seen nursing home residents as young as 12 years old.  In my facility, our current age range is approximately 35 to 98 years old.  And the medical conditions.... well, I can't even begin to name them all.  Young men who are paralized from car accidents, middle aged people with MS, older adults with dementia, stroke patients.... all of these and more can be found in most nursing homes.   I can assure you, most residents are not  "crazy".  Yes, there are some dementia residents, or residents with mental disorders- you might see them talking to themselves or doing other things that seem a little strange.  But many other residents are fully alert and oriented- they are in the facility for a physical impairment that requires medical care.
Residents all wear white gowns, like the old sanitarium movies I see on TV.
                    Not unless they wore them at home!  The Nursing Home Resident's Bill of Rights states that residents must be allowed to wear their personal clothing daily.  This includes nightgowns or pajamas, if the resident chooses.... although some are content to use hospital-type gowns.  When residents are up and about during the day, however, they should be dressed in their own clothing.   Nursing assistants are there daily to help the resident bathe, dress, and fix their hair and make-up. 
Residents are drugged and sedated.
                    This is one I hear a lot... and maybe fifty years ago it was true.  Today, however, there are so many rules and regulations against chemical restraints that it's nearly impossible for a facility to lawfully "drug" a resident.    Facilities have to find other ways to keep residents safe- for example, if wandering is a problem, they might use door alarms .  If violent behavior is a problem, the facility might try calming music and one-on-one monitoring of the resident.   The regulations force the staff to come up with creative ways to handle behaviors that were once treated with medication.
People go to nursing homes to die.
                    Well, yes and no.  Some people will pass away in a nursing facility, true.  They have come to the facility because their physical health has deteriorated to the point where they need around the clock nursing care.  For many of these people, yes, the nursing facility may be the last place they live. 
                    For others, no.  Some people come to a nursing home for therapy, following a broken hip or surgery.  After they have healed, they are able to return to their own homes or to the home of a family member.  We are seeing more and more of these residents as HMO's affect the number of days a person can stay in the hospital.  Years ago, a person might stay in the hospital several weeks to recover- today, many of those same people are sent to nursing homes. 
                    And other people come to a nursing home for respite care- that is, to give their family/ caregivers a break.  These people might only stay in the nursing home for a week or a month, then they return home with their family.