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schoherbs Asked August 2011

Do nursing homes let residents spend time outside?

EXPERT Carol Bradley Bursack, CDSGF Aug 2011
Most of them encourage it - many have very nice gardens and yards or courtyards. Some have planters at wheelchair height so people who want to "grow something" can do that.
One NH I know well has a vegetable garden that residents who want to garden work on together. Obviously, these things depend on the resident's health, but most encourage outdoors time, if it's something that works for the resident.
Take care,
Carol

picture Aug 2011
Why there is not mandatory outside time I cannot understand. Yes, most need help getting out there and attendance, but sunshine is utterly important to all people's health. But this aspect is ignored everywhere. Most doors cannot be open easily with or without a wheelchair. If you want your loved one to spend important time in sunshine getting needed Vit D, etc. you have to do it yourself. (I have had my mom at 4 places, I know what I am talking about).

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japinke Aug 2011
The Nursing Home / Rehab Center (Brighton Gardens - A Sunrise Facility in Tampa Fl.) where my husband had to stay after hip surgery, not only had porches, screened and unscreened, but sidewalks all around the facility with benches either in the sun or under the trees for residents and their families to use. The aides would check on the residents constantly to be sure everything was okay. The double front doors were operated with an electric eye to make wheelchair exit and entering easy. Good facilities are sometime hard to find and I visited several before I found one that I liked. Get a list of facilities from the hospital and start visiting. Good luck in your search.

sak9 Aug 2011
It is the responsibility of the family, friends, church members, community clubs to take nursing home residents outside. 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. Here we have many elders who have never felt a snow flake or a rain drop or the fresh breezes due to the fact society has abrogated their responsibilities in caring for our elders. All blame is on nursing home staff. And heaven forbid that nursing homes need another mandate concerning taking residents outside. Go to a nursing home today and take as many as YOU can outside.

ociesev Aug 2011
Great idea for us to take them out and while we are getting them from inside check what else the employees are NOT doing!
This is a great ministry for all churches as is an exercise ministry to keep seniors able to walk.

Sherry777 Aug 2011
If your a stranger visiting, can you take someone outside anyway??? I don't think so unless your a friend, church member or relative.

picture Aug 2011
Blame is not always on nursing home staff. Blame is on Corporation who does not hire enough staff and does not put the money in to have trained staff and to train the staff properly and to keep them up to date on new information. Some places staff is there for the job, other places staff is there for a career. Big, big difference in the care. But they still cut financial corners by not hiring enough help. Always.

raetay Aug 2011
My mother lives in a CBRF. Community based residential facility. This particular plase is "demetia specific". The run like a nursing home, but mos have fewer residents and there is not a RN. As a matter of fact most of the caregivers are not even CNA's. I am the one who takes my mother outside. I toilet her when I am there and scream when they don't properly toilet her. While I am there I usually do activities with everyone, feed my mother and whatever else she may need. I too wish the caregivers would do more, but....I have not yet visited a place that has a high enough staff ratio, that they can just take someone outside. What about all the other residents ho are inside eating plastic flowers and trying to figure out how to "go home"? I go see my mother everyday, because I know that she needs me to make sure she is cared for. It's hard to always find the time, but based on my many many visits to care facilities and nursing homes, I would never leave it up to them to meet her needs. It does help to know that I am not alone and wish something would change in the special education that I think should be required in dementia units. Until it does, I will be there for my mother.

N1K2R3 Sep 2011
I certainly hope that Nursing Home residents spend time outside each day. Even prisoners are allowed one hour a day outdoors.
p.s.
The Brighton Gardens facility ( Sunrise) in Tampa sounds like a nice place. I thought that it was owned by the Marriott Corporation.

igloo572 Sep 2011
Perhaps this ? is asking something different?

Schoherbs, if your ? is about taking the NH resident "outside" for a trip, you can do it. But the length of time "outside" must be within each states window to do this otherwise they are not actively under medical care and can be discharged from NH. If their private pay NH, then it probably doesn't matter if gran is going away for a family reunion or wedding for a week but if their Medicaid it does. Ask the NH what the limitations are. At my mom's NH a few residents go each weekend away with family (and their dirty laundry) and they come back by midday Sun.My guess is that in TX it's a 48 hr pass for Medicaid residents. Ask admissions what the state requires of them and check with the DoN (director of nursing- she, it usually is a she, is the goddess and ruler in most NH) about what medications you need to take, if the NH can give you those in advance or if you need to get an outside RX filled for.

N1, I don't know about the Marriott connection, but Sunrise is a huge for-profit
group (US, UK, Canada).Cheap stock about $ 7 share. Maybe Marriott is contracted out for foodservice as Marriott does alot of this (colleges, airports). My recollection of Sunrise when we were looking, was they were good with working with families dealing with transferring assets to pay, like they had a big insurance policy that they could work into a long-term care policy or doing bridge loans for those that needed to sell their home to pay for care. There's like 300+ Sunrise facilities in the US.

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