How To Welcome New Residents

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Over the past couple of days, I’ve been scouring the Internet looking for ideas to help welcome new residents to the nursing home. Why? Because I think we become so accustomed to residents coming and going that it easily desensitizes us to what it feels like to be a new resident.

Let’s begin by looking at several issues a new nursing home resident might face. (Many residents make a smooth transition to the nursing home. I don’t want to give the impression that it’s always difficult. Rather, I simply want to make everyone aware of potential challenges.)

Lack of choices

Some people have the luxury of researching and visiting long-term care facilities in advance. They can choose the one they feel best meets their needs.

However, many times, the decision needs to be made swiftly. The individual ends up knowing almost nothing about the place that will become their new home.

It’s not uncommon for a hospitalized person to suddenly receive word that they’re ready for discharge. They need to find a nursing home to move into that day or the next. This often means picking a random nursing home from a list provided by the hospital.

Emotional overload

Often, a person enters a nursing home because of a crisis. It could be an illness, unanticipated surgery, or an injury. As a result, the person might already feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or worried.

For someone living with dementia, maybe the person can no longer live safely in their own home. This adds even more stress, as the person might not understand why they need to be in the nursing home.

Living among strangers

In a small community, a person might have friends or relatives living at the local nursing home. But many people move into a nursing home filled with staff and other residents who are strangers to them.

Also, the resident might need to share a room with someone whose interests and habits differ greatly from their own. Most nursing homes try hard to create an individualized plan of care for each resident. However, there will still be routines and schedules that don’t align with the person’s preferences.

Loss of control

A multitude of assessments need to be completed shortly after admission. This becomes overwhelming and tiring for a resident who’s already feeling stressed.

Add to this, the personal questions, procedures, and examinations that might come with entering a nursing home. A person can quickly feel like they’ve lost their privacy and sense of control.

Attitudes about nursing homes

Many people carry negative attitudes about nursing homes. As a result, they enter the facility feeling wary about being a resident. Any negative experiences in the admission process will quickly substantiate those impressions. (Let’s work together to change those perceptions!)

These are some ideas I found to help welcome new residents to the nursing home. Of course, what’s appropriate depends on the individual resident’s medical condition, needs, and preferences.

I’m also asking for help from my readers on this one. I feel like there must be lots of other creative ideas out there. Will you do me a favor and add your suggestions in the comment section?

• Provide free tickets so friends or family can join the resident for a few meals during the first week.

• Recruit a few current residents as ambassadors to welcome new residents. They can answer questions, accompany new residents to meals & activities, and introduce them to other people.

• Create a welcome video that the resident and their family can watch at their convenience. Sometimes there’s so much going on during admission that it’s hard to remember what everyone said.

• Depending on how often new residents arrive, host a weekly or monthly “meet and greet” party where current residents can meet the new residents.

• Try to provide consistent staff as much as possible. Also, provide contact information for specific people the resident and/or family can refer to with questions or concerns.

• Invite current residents to create small welcome gifts for new residents. Depending upon their interests, they might receive a potted plant, bookmarker, sun catcher, or lap blanket. (You can find lots of other ideas on Pinterest.)

• Arrange for a volunteer to accompany the resident to activities of interest over the first few days.

• Offer to have the chaplain or another staff member join the resident for a meal shortly after admission.

I would love to hear what you do to welcome new residents to your nursing home. Please share in the comment section.