Our family or friend is now for whatever staying at the skilled nursing home or facility (SNF). This stay maybe for only rehabilitation or longer; however there are so many emotions running through our heads and hearts. On average a visitor to a SNF spends less than thirty minutes, why is that. There are many reasons and is this what we intend to do is more the question. Visiting in a SNF is difficult because most residents are at least two bed rooms and there is the emotion of bothering the other person. And frankly this is sometimes fostered by the other person in the room.
The fear or quilt of our person in a SNF is for many overwhelming. And we must meet this aggressively, for the sake of our person. While in many places a social worker is in view to help with these feelings, frequently this is not the case in an SNF. We are kind of left to our own devices to work through this adjustment. Most people never make that transition. These are a list of tips; if a social worker was there they might help with.
1. Have a topic of discussion and a hug when entering the room.
2. Maybe suggest another meeting site; a library, at lunchroom, a visitation room.
3. Try to keep the visit as upbeat as possible.
4. Above all, listen to what our person has to say, we might discover a wealth of knowledge doing this.
It is very important for our person to have at least a day when we will return, next Tuesday or Wednesday. This is a thread of hope for those in a very routine directed environment. Ask if there is something needed to help pass the time. If the person is in need of some physical therapy, bring something which will make this time easier. Staffs in a SNF frequently notice new hair ribbons, a hat, mittens and so forth.
And set a goal for your visit and time, 45 minutes discussing the video brought at the last visit. Judge the amount of time to spend by the activity level of our person. And always stay in an emotionally positive place. This means if the person tells us that their roommate died last night, we want to know their feelings and emotions about that. This may seem not in an emotionally positive place, however, frequently there is no one to share the emotion of losing a friend or roommate with as everyone is too busy. Giving the opportunity to discuss this is one of the most loving things we can do. www.legacyproject.org
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