Recently, for work reasons, I toured Rosewood on Broadway, a nursing home where I had spent nearly 15 years on daily visits with anywhere from one to three of my elders at a time.
Physically, Rosewood has changed a great deal since my mother, the last of my elders, died. Now, through tears of remembrance, I view this beautifully remodeled nursing home. I'd have loved to have this beautiful physical setting for my elders, but they had what to me is most important, wonderful staff. These same people work today in new surroundings. We hug and tear up as we greet one another. I look around, amazed. "Beautiful. Simply beautiful," seem to be the only words available to me.
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Nursing homes strive toward person-centered care
Most nursing homes in recent memory were built around the old military model of efficiency. Much like older hospitals, nursing homes had narrow hallways and small double rooms. When Rosewood was first built in the late 50s, the only people to have private bathrooms were those in private rooms. The rest shared hall bathrooms. Later, during the '70s I believe, came private bathrooms, a huge step forward.
In the early '90s, my neighbor Joe, who had broken his hip, needed nursing home care. He was my first elder responsibility, as he had no family in the area. I knew little about nursing homes, but I chose Rosewood for Joe because I could continue to visit him daily. I was also aware that my community had a good reputation for nursing homes - as nursing homes went.
From Joe's time onward, I had elders with nursing needs, and Rosewood's wonderful staff cared for them. I was always part of the care team and visited nearly every day, making the lives of my elders as unique as possible in a nursing home setting. As I grew to know the staff and administrators, I could to sense their awareness of the movement toward person-centered care.
Gradually, more plants, and even pets, became part of the scene. A large aquarium was donated by a grateful family and I could see the effect watching the colorful fish had on many of the elders. The home provided garden plots for those who wanted them, or let them put flowers in high planters that could be reached from their wheelchairs. The grounds were beautiful and part of person-centered care. They had photo centers and unique display cases to showcase their elders' accomplishments.
Now, the remodeling has turned narrow hallways into open areas where nurses can view call lights and monitor residents without appearing to do so. Shared rooms are large and so well designed they may as well be private. The old three-meals-a-day routine has been replaced by choices of when and what to eat. My mom would have loved this change.