The headache of dealing with rude and unruly neighbors is unfortunately a persistent problem throughout our lives–it can even follow you in your later years to the nursing home.
In fact, it might be even more present in a nursing home. These facilities, while often spacious and accommodating, can cause a resident to lose a sense of privacy and solitude sometimes. This can create tense situations and may lead to verbal and even physical outlashing. It has been found that abuse of this kind has affected one in five residents currently living in a nursing or convalescent facility, and unfortunately it is very difficult to track or monitor this behavior.
With proper action and awareness of this problem, these altercations between fellow nursing home neighbors can be prevented. Here are just a few ways that someone living in a nursing home or knows someone living in a nursing home can help bring peace back to these facilities.
Visit as often as possible
While the services offered by nursing homes great and often necessary for some individuals, the separation from one’s family can leave them feeling lonely and depressed. These feelings may make the person more prone to unpleasantness and confrontation.
What you can do as a family member is go to see your parent or relative as much as you can. Everyone loves seeing their family, and frequent interaction is healthy and can deter negative behavior in the future. Additionally, being present in the nursing home often will allow you to monitor these events and prevent a confrontation yourself before it even happens.
Engage in respectful communication
Showing another person respect can go a long way. Practicing positive reinforcement and feedback can help ease tension between fellow nursing home residents and staff. And this can apply to both residents and family members.
You should avoid trying to blame or accuse someone of doing something that is wrong or bothers you. State the problem factually and don’t lose your cool. When speaking to a staff member about an issue with a parent or loved one, be constructive in you concern, and don’t find yourself participating in the outlashing too.
Be involved and always be asking questions
There is always room for improvement in all facets of life. If you are personally living in a nursing home, you are the first line of defense, the watchful eye over the daily happenings in the facility. Be involved in the community–if you see something, say something.
As aforementioned, it is very difficult for management and staff to track all of the negative interactions within a nursing home. As a relative, it is up to you to be proactive in speaking up, voicing concerns, and providing potential solutions to new and existing problems.
Keeping nursing facilities a positive and peaceful environment is a group effort. It takes cognizance and awareness of the issues in order to mitigate future problems. However, if relatives make sure to visit frequently, all parties participate in constructive communication, and we keep our ear to the ground for any problems, we can work closer to ridding nursing homes of this issue entirely.
