Your continued involvement will help your spouse, parent, or friend adjust to their new home, avoid depression and ensure that he or she receives appropriate care. Many families arrange their schedules so that a different person visits each day for an hour or so and brings news of the family as well as items like writing paper, books, and toiletries. You will also need to keep in touch with your relative's doctor to keep informed about any changes in health or treatment. Try to schedule outings for an afternoon, a day, or a weekend. Remember, the nursing home is, indeed, a home.
Residents are free to come and go within their own capabilities.
If you feel the nursing home is violating the rights of someone you love, call your local Long Term Care Ombudsman. The National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform is an organization comprised of individuals and agencies advocating for quality of life and care for nursing home residents. The Mental Health Law Project offers low-cost literature explaining the Nursing Home Reform act of 1987, which requires nursing homes to provide treatment to residents with mental health problems. This is specially important since, according to a Penn State University study, only 19 percent of nursing home residents have had even a single session with a psychiatrist or other mental health worker. The National Senior Citizens Law Center practices law in support of legal services programs and on behalf of elderly clients and client groups.