Is retirement home a suitable choice for my elderly?

Deciding on your elderly’s fate may seem ludicrous but it is important to gather the correct information of a potential retirement home for the elderly.

Living in a retirement home can be a good alternative for your elderly loved ones so that they can get the care they deserve in their retirement years. Many would argue though that nothing quite beats staying in the comfort of their own homes, spending their retirement close to their family members.

However, in a situation where deteriorating health can put their safety at risk, a home with 24-hour care from professionals is a better, more practical option.

As a family member, it is definitely not easy to entrust your loved ones to someone else’s care, particularly in a new setting and environment.

But with recent advancements in nursing and caring services, many retirement homes place top priority on the comfort and safety of their elderly residents. For example, Jasper Lodge Care Centres in Petaling Jaya, acting as a comfortable retirement home and a nursing centre in one, offers a variety of services and nursing care to its residents to enjoy while staying at the centre, ensuring a healthy, safe and secure care.

A conducive retirement home is one that creates an active social environment for their residents which Jasper Lodge Care Centre strives for.

Starting from the comfortable layout of the physical building, and the introduction of open wards and room-sharing, the retirement homes strive to promote social communication between the residents, encouraging them to become friends with their peers.

Jasper Lodge care centres introduces group activities for the residents such as light physiotherapy in the morning, game sessions in the afternoon and mini gardening breaks before tea-time help encourage the elderly to communicate more with each other, creating a friendly and happy environment for them.

Residents who require assistance whether to bathe, dress or eat, will also be attended to by caring professionals, in-house nurses and physiotherapists.

Nursing homes with professional in-house nurses are able to provide residents with assistance in their daily tasks.

One perk of having a comfortable retirement home that is equipped with professional nursing aids is that skilled nursing services are available instantly in the event of a medical emergency, administration of medication and early medical support.

Jasper Lodge Care Centres is also very particular in employing trained and experienced staff to attend to residents with serious health conditions. These include those who are bedridden, suffering from cancer, and end-of-life patients.

The retirement homes are ensured to be equipped with excellent services such as in-house cooks to provide nutritious meals and snacks for the residents throughout the day. 5 times per day meals, with a healthy and nourishing menu are just what our elderly need to replenish their energy for the day.

These retirement facilities often cater to their residents’ dietary requirements and tastes, thus ensuring that they are getting the nutrients they need in their diet.

Admission into a nursing facility is not intended in any way to separate the elderly from their family members but to ensure that they are being cared for by professionals who know what they are doing.

It is common for family members to care for their retired parents themselves but it is tough juggling between raising their own families and attending to the day-to-day responsibilities of caring for an elderly parent.

Opting to send an elderly parent to a nursing home ensures they are attended to with tenderness and round-the-clock services. Taking from one of Jasper Lodge’s long-time residents’ experience, Uncle Lee; He had lived with his son for a good 5-years after retiring from being a teacher. “Living with a family member is good, but there wasn’t many things I could do for fun there. I had to wait for my son to come home to eat together because he was concerned if I am to prepare food for myself. I cannot go outside as we were living in an apartment and he was afraid if I got confused and lost…” Uncle Lee said coming to Jasper Lodge is a correct decision for him and his son because he is now able to enjoy his retirement years, being taken care of, still able to walk around and associating with other residents and the staff. “The cost came into question at first but now my son can work better without worrying about me while he’s working so okay-lah”.

In Uncle Lee’s case, he is aware of his and his son’s emotion and mental state. The emotional and mental state of the elderly is important as living alone and coped up for a long time can be taxing. The benefit of a retirement home is that the elderly can meet other residents who are in similar situations, allowing new friendships to blossom or letting them to simply enjoy the presence of other people around them.

Upon inspection, Jasper Lodge Care Centres also paid a lot of attention in ensuring the safety of the residents. Falling incident is common for the elderly and often can be fatal. The retirement homes focused on comfort and safety of its residents by making sure the spaces inside are free of thresholds, non-slippery floorings and clean. Since accidents invariably happen in the bathrooms, the centre also made sure the toilets are fully equipped with non-skid tiling, grab bars in the toilet region and bath area, and also anti-slip mat. The bathrooms are fairly large to allow the use of a walker or a nurse to assist in use.

One of too many close calls in one’s own home can be a clear sign for the elderly to make a move to a retirement home, especially ones that offer round-the-clock care, and trained staff to handle emergency cases.

Deciding on your elderly’s fate may seem ludicrous but it is important to gather the correct information of a potential retirement home for the elderly. After all, they will be the one making the final decision whether to move into the facilities or not.