Medical vs. Non Medical Care in Connecticut

When your loved one lives in a nursing home, they most likely need care that you and your family cannot provide. However, it is important to remember that your loved one needs more than medical care. As they get older and faces this stage of life, the nursing home should be concerned with treating the whole person. This includes your loved one’s emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health. While these are non medical issues, they are important to your loved one’s well-being. Here you can learn about proper medical and non medical care that your loved one should receive in a nursing home.

Medical Care

Most likely, if your loved one lives in a nursing home, the home focuses on your loved one’s physical and medical health. This makes sense, and these things should get attention. Steps to complete proper medical care in a nursing home include:

• Making a care plan for your loved one. Every nursing home resident should have an individualized care plan.
• Access to necessary equipment. If your loved one suffers from a disease or illness and needs medical equipment in order to treat this, they should have this access.
• Regular medication. If your loved one is on medication, it is the nursing home staff’s responsibility to provide and in some cases administer this medication. Your loved one should get medication every day or as needed. If they need assistance administering this medication, for example, if your loved one has diabetes and needs penicillin shots, then staff should do this.
• Proper nutrition. Proper nutrition is a significant way to reduce the effects of disease and prevent illness. Your loved one should have access to lean protein, fruits, and vegetables at the nursing home.
• Regular check ups. Your loved one should have regular visits with doctors to check on existing conditions and to minimize new ones. If your loved one exhibits different behavior or new symptoms, the nursing home staff should set up an appointment with a doctor.

Non Medical Care

Non medical care oftentimes gets overlooked in nursing homes. But, they should not overlook this issue. To keep nursing home residents happy, their emotional and spiritual well being must get cared for. This can happen in a variety of ways, such as:

• Respecting the nursing home residents. Mutual respect can go a long way in a nursing home. Many nursing home residents are ashamed of the fact that they need help, they feel lonely because they don’t see their family often, and they fear that they have become obsolete. These issues can reduced if they have the respect of the nursing home staff.
• Access to activities. As I mentioned on another page, indoor and outdoor activities in nursing homes are very important. They stimulate the mind and body, they allow for socialization in the home, and they provide an opportunity for self growth and reflection. Make sure that your loved one’s nursing home provides activities.
• Access to religious services. Many elderly people are religious or become religious as they get older. It is important that these nursing home residents have an opportunity to grow in spirituality. Also, this can improve their emotional state.

These are just a few ways that a nursing home should be concerned with caring for the whole person. If your loved one does not get proper medical and non medical care, contact a nursing home neglect and abuse attorney.