It’s All In The Words

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A couple of people have commented on my use of the words “nursing home” and “resident” on my blog. I appreciate this feedback because I gave a lot of thought to the words I should use as I was developing my blog.

These are some of the words I considered to describe a nursing home:

• Long-term care facility: This doesn’t seem quite right since nowadays it’s common to go to a nursing home for short-term rehab.
• Senior living facility: Many of the people who live at a nursing home aren’t seniors. One nursing home in my state even cared for a baby at one time.
• Retirement community: Most people don’t move to a nursing home when they retire.
• Rest home: I hope the residents are doing a lot more than just resting!

These are a few of the words I considered to describe people who live in a nursing home:

• Patient: This implies that the people living in a nursing home are sick.
• Client: To me, this sounds too much like a business relationship.
• Elder: Many of the people living at a nursing home are not elderly.
• Participant: I’ve heard this term used in some of the newer nursing home models. However, for people who aren’t familiar with this word usage, I think it may be confusing.

In the end, I decided to stick with the traditional words of “nursing home” and “resident”. These are words everyone understands. That being said, I welcome other suggestions. I’m especially interested in your opinion if you’ve ever lived in a nursing home. Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section!