How to Keep Your Senior Care Facility Residents Healthy and Comfortable

Featured Image Caption: Senior Citizen Doing Exercise in Lawn

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Today, life expectancies are higher than ever before, and many seniors are choosing residential care facilities to live out their golden years. The benefits of a senior care facility are numerous, from socializing to promoting a senior’s independence. However, extra considerations must be taken to keep this vulnerable population safe. Here are five ways you can keep your seniors healthy in your senior care facility.

Adequate Staffing

Having enough staff ensures your residents receive the care they need, while too much staff can result in overspending funds that could be put towards something else. Many facilities will have one staff member for every six to eight clients, but the ideal ratio will depend on the needs of your senior residents.

Preventative Care

With the declining health of seniors, there should be more emphasis placed on preventative care to promote health and wellness. Nutritious meals, fitness classes, and medication management can go a long way in keeping a resident as healthy as possible. Daily temperature checks are also vital for monitoring the health of your residents, especially in a post-COVID world. Consider an automated temperature scanning kiosk, which can save time and allow your staff to focus on other care-related tasks.

Religious Services

Faith is an important part of many people’s lives, and it doesn’t go away with age. Meeting your residents’ faith-based needs will promote their sense of purpose, keep them connected to their community, and boost their mental wellness. You can meet these needs by building an on-site chapel, hosting religious text classes, and observing holidays.

Educational Courses

Learning new things is one of the best ways to keep the mind sharp, which is why many senior care facilities provide classes for their residents. Examples include classes for learning new skills, such as chess, musical instruments, foreign languages, or painting. Creative writing classes and book clubs are popular among seniors as well. These types of courses have the added benefit of helping residents socialize in a structured environment, ultimately enhancing their mental health and overall quality of life.

Collect Data

Your staff should record as much data as possible, such as residents’ vitals, how often they finish their meals, when they take their medication, or new health-related developments. When you’re dealing with a large amount of people, having concrete numbers to analyze is a reliable way to monitor community-wide issues. Also, data collected over a long period of time can reveal trends, allowing you to see any deficits in the care of your residents.

It’s important to keep the residents in your senior care facility connected to the world at large. By meeting their physical, mental, and spiritual needs, you will ensure they are aging comfortably.

By Dixie Somers
who is a freelance writer based in Arizona.

Member since October, 2022
View all the articles of Dixie Somers.