The decision to move into a retirement home is a big step for everyone involved. But when one’s own strength declines, memory weakens and older people no longer feel safe in their own four walls, sooner or later the path leads to a retirement home. This not only means giving up familiar surroundings, dear neighbors and, of course, one’s own apartment, where one has lived for a long time, but also losing a piece of one’s personal freedom and self-determination.
Checklist retirement home
In addition, moving to a retirement home also means a significant change in living situation. The stay in a nursing home is not temporary, such as in a hospital, but usually permanent. Only a few people move from the nursing home back into their own four walls. Nevertheless, there is no reason to be afraid of going to a retirement home or nursing home. The following article serves as a retirement home checklist.
Retirement home: advantages of care
Many so-called senior residences offer as a retirement home today modern, friendly facilities, bright rooms with plenty of space for individual design, good food, spacious gardens and lots of leisure activities. In addition, a retirement home can be a valuable opportunity for single seniors in particular to establish and maintain social contacts. After all, while it is difficult to meet new people at home in one’s own apartment, the retirement home offers numerous opportunities to meet like-minded people – whether at a shared meal in the dining room, in the common room or during an organized leisure activity. At the same time, the comprehensive care and support provided in the nursing home is an enormous relief for relatives. They are thus relieved of strenuous duties and at the same time have more time to spend quality time with those in need of care.
Retirement home: compare costs, pay attention to quality
Even if there are many beautiful, modern facilities for the elderly today, there are still great differences in the quality of different nursing homes. Of course, these are often also tied to costs, but if you pay attention to some important criteria when choosing a retirement home, you can find a nice home even among the cheaper categories. First, you should consider how important the location of the future residence is to you. If you are very attached to your familiar surroundings, neighbors and friends, you should choose a retirement home that is close by. However, people who are less locally attached have a broader range of options and therefore a greater chance of finding the perfect retirement home. Especially in rural areas, there are often beautiful residential complexes with extensive parks or green spaces and attractive recreational facilities.
Retirement home rating
Once you have decided on a place, you should in any case take a closer look at the retirement home or nursing home before making a choice. On various Internet platforms, there is now the possibility of evaluating retirement homes. There, residents and relatives can post reports of their experiences and give the nursing homes marks. Nevertheless, a personal visit – preferably to several retirement homes – is recommended. You should make this effort to be sure you make the right decision – after all, you may spend the rest of your life in the retirement home of your choice.
The personal visit to the retirement home
When visiting a nursing home, pay special attention to first impressions:
- How does the house look from the outside, how are you received?
- How does it smell, how do you feel?
- Is there a pleasant order in the corridors in the nursing home? Or is it unhygienic and chaotic, are cleaning buckets and laundry bags around, overflow trash cans?
On the other hand, too sterile environment, reminiscent of a hospital, also does not help to feel good. Also observe the employee who leads you through the premises:
- How does he deal with the residents, what tone prevails in the respective retirement home?
- Do the caregivers treat the residents respectfully and kindly, or uncharitably and harshly?
- How do the residents you meet in the hallways look – are they well-groomed, combed, and appropriately dressed? Or do they make an unhappy, neglected state?
If possible, also talk to the residents and ask their opinion. Find out about recreational activities and joint activities in the nursing home in question:
- Do the offers correspond to your interests and wishes, or could you rather not imagine participating in them?
- If possible, attend a recreational activity, such as a joint singing lesson. Do you feel comfortable, do you feel a sense of community among the nursing home residents?
Important factor in the nursing home: food and meals.
Also ask to be present at a communal meal in the nursing home. This not only provides a great opportunity to test the quality of the food and service, but also to engage in conversation with other residents. As you eat, pay attention to how it is prepared, whether it is healthy and fresh, whether consideration is given to special requests, whether those in need of assistance are helped with their meals, and how the tables are grouped.
- Is there a fixed seating arrangement at meals in the nursing home? Does everyone sit at one long table? Or are there cozy seating groups where everyone is free to choose with whom and where to share the meal?
- Also look at the menu: Does much of the food suit your taste? Are the dishes varied and creative, or do they remind you of a hospital cafeteria?
Retirement home: assess equipment and surroundings
Pay attention to how the retirement home is equipped:
- Does the furniture look battered and worn, or modern and friendly?
- Are there orientation aids for the residents, for example signs or a different colored design of the different floors?
What is the environment of the retirement home? Pay attention to the following aspects, for example:
- Are there green spaces or parks for walks?
- Are there doctors, a hairdresser, a kiosk, a massage practice and the like in the immediate vicinity of the nursing home?
- How is the connection by public transport? This is important not only for personal trips, but also for visits from friends and relatives without a car.
The security situation in the retirement home is also particularly important. Is there an emergency call button in every room? Is the entrance area monitored? Are there facilities for storing valuables such as safes or lockers?
Important: Talk to the nursing home management in person
After visiting the home, you and relatives should talk to the home’s management for advice on what is available. Homes that have nothing to hide will transparently and honestly disclose all costs and services. Compare the nursing home costs and the range of services offered by the homes you have looked at. There are often significant differences here. Talk to the home management about your wishes and what is important to you – be it certain dietary foods, a pet in the room, individual room furnishings or certain special care measures. Of course, it will not always be possible to fulfill all your wishes – but if the home management at least makes an effort and offers you alternative solutions, this is already a good sign. After the interview, have them give you a list of the costs involved, as well as the range of services offered by the respective nursing home and brochures in black and white. So you can think about it at home in peace and compare a retirement home with other homes.
Check contract well
If you have finally decided on a retirement home, a contract is concluded. Let yourself be accompanied and advised by relatives for this purpose. Check the contract carefully and make sure that all services are described in detail and all costs are broken down exactly before you sign. Here it is good to know that anyone who has signed a contract can withdraw from the agreement within two weeks without incurring any disadvantages.
