Elderly Parent Wants to Leave Nursing Home: What To Do

What do you do when you get the call that your parent in the nursing home wants to go home? When a mother wants out of the nursing home adult children in the family have questions to consider that are challenging and often difficult to answer.

• Is leaving a nursing home the best choice for your aging parent?
• Can a person leave a nursing home once they are admitted?
• How to get out of a nursing home and still be in a safe environment?

When your elderly parent wants to leave the nursing home, the first question you should ask is why they want to leave. Ask the following questions and listen carefully to their answers.

• Are they receiving the care they need?
• Is there a problem with staff or maybe a roommate?
• Do they feel lonely or abandoned?
• Do they want to live independently?
• Is the food not the diet they are used to?
• Are they just missing the comfort of their own home?

This conversation is important to determine how to move forward. If loneliness is the problem, maybe you can increase how often you visit your parent in the nursing home. Ask other family members and friends to drop by for an occasional visit.

Talk to the dietary department about your parent’s favorite foods, or how they like them prepared. Sometimes small changes can go a long way when it comes to meal planning.

If your loved one tells you the staff is inattentive, dismissive, or verbally or physically abusive you should contact the administration immediately.

If your parent has a roommate who is not a compatible one, check into having your parent moved to another room.

Loneliness and a longing to be at home are two problems that are heartbreaking for you and for your parent. If you have tried everything to help your loved one feel comfortable and content in the nursing home and he or she continues to be depressed or unhappy, it may be time to investigate other options.

As we age, we all think about how to stay out of a nursing home if possible. For some people, a nursing home is the only option, but for others staying at home or in a less restrictive environment may be possible with support.

The first thing to do is assess your parent’s needs. Why was she in a nursing home?

• How much independence does mom really have? How will she get to appointments, the grocery store, or any place else she needs to go?
• Is she able to get around with total independence? Is she a fall risk? Can she bathe or shower by herself?
• What about meals? Can she prepare her own or will she need a service like Meals on Wheels?
• Does she need help with household chores? Is she mentally stable? Can she handle her own finances?

Once you determine her needs, you can discuss the level of care that must be provided at home or in a different type of elderly care environment, such as a group home or senior living community.

One family member can’t handle all the needs, but many families work together as a support team to help their aging parents live in an environment that will make them happy as they live out their lives.

Services such as home health care, a live-in companion, or moving in with a family member could be the solution you and your parent are seeking.

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We at Griswold Home Care can help. We can sit down with you and your loved one and help you come up with a plan. We have a variety of services that meet our clients where they are. Whether you need companion care, homemaking care, live-in overnight care, or assistance with personal care, we are ready to assist.Click the link for more information about our many services, and to set up an appointment for a consultation.