NursingHomeVolunteer.com

Enhancing the Lives of Nursing Home Residents One Volunteer at a Time

Diane

For-Profit vs Nonprofit: Which Is Better?

by 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

choosing a nursing home

Recently I spoke with an acquaintance who expressed concern about the nursing home she chose for her dad. After experiencing a stroke, he was hospitalized for a few days. Sooner than expected, the hospital informed his family that he was ready for discharge. Suddenly they needed to find a nursing home where he could go for rehab.

Not knowing anything about local options—and feeling rushed—she simply picked a nursing home from a list provided by the hospital. Later, thinking about the fact that this was a for-profit facility and part of a large chain, she became concerned that her dad wouldn’t receive good care.

Have any of you been in a similar situation? Today I thought it would be helpful to explore the key differences between for-profit and nonprofit facilities. We’ll also look at things to consider when choosing a nursing home.

[Read more…] about For-Profit vs Nonprofit: Which Is Better?

7 Top New Year’s Resolutions For Nursing Home Residents

by Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

nursing home New Year's resolutions

Sadly, many people think of nursing home residents as simply biding their time. But everyone deserves opportunities to grow and learn, no matter what their age.

This week, I hope you’ll help your residents explore their goals and dreams, then create a couple of resolutions for the new year. Here are some possible categories as well as tips you can use to help your residents keep those resolutions.

  • Exercise more

This common New Year’s resolution offers a myriad of benefits to nursing home residents. These include improved circulation, fewer falls, increased endurance, more flexibility, and improved mood—just to name a few.

You can make exercise fun by offering sample classes featuring a variety of exercise options. Consider chair yoga, balance exercises, dance, stretching, strength training, or a walking group. Let the residents choose their favorites, then offer them regularly.

[Read more…] about 7 Top New Year’s Resolutions For Nursing Home Residents

The Survey Results Are Ready!

by Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to fill out my end-of-year survey. This is an enormous help as I plan the direction of my blog for 2019. Today I’m sharing the highlights from your responses.

Topics you found most helpful

When I asked about the topics you found most helpful in 2018, I expected to see a few categories stand out above the rest. Surprisingly, most of the categories received a similar number of votes.

I believe this is a good thing. It means that each of the blog categories was interesting and helpful to a group of my readers.

[Read more…] about The Survey Results Are Ready!

50 Things To Do As A Nursing Home Volunteer

by 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

50 ideas for nursing home volunteers

Recently, I was chatting with a woman who volunteers at a local nursing home. She expressed frustration and spoke of possibly checking out other facilities.

This woman explained that she’s eager to make a difference in the lives of the residents. But whenever she goes to the nursing home to volunteer at her assigned time, the staff rarely have anything for her to do.

This made me feel discouraged. You see, I’ve worked in a few different nursing homes during my career, and I know the needs are great. Moreover, volunteers can help meet so many of these needs—for both the residents and the staff.

[Read more…] about 50 Things To Do As A Nursing Home Volunteer

Creative Acts Of Kindness For January

by Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

Acts of kindness for seniors

Isn’t it amazing how acts of kindness often benefit the giver just as much as the receiver? That’s why I hope you’ll give your residents lots of opportunities to be kind to other people in 2019.

Over the next year, I plan to write a monthly article describing ways you can help your residents experience the joy of spreading kindness. Let’s begin with 7 ideas for January.

1. Provide supplies so your residents can create beautiful cards for residents at another nearby nursing home. Then drop off the cards with a request that they are distributed to any residents who could use a bit of encouragement.

[Read more…] about Creative Acts Of Kindness For January