Over this past summer, I got the opportunity to work with my mom. She is employed at a nursing home and has worked there since my freshman year of high school, so, I already had some idea of what the atmosphere looked like. I started working here when I came home at the end of my spring semester and stayed throughout the summer. My position here was under the title ‘helping hands,’ this position ideally was formed to help out the nursing staff alongside providing assistance and company to the residents.
While spending my summer here, I began to form connections with these individuals as I began to spend more time with them. In this position I was performing tasks such as making their beds, cleaning their rooms, assistance with feeding, but along with those assistance tasks I was also able to spend one on one time with the residents. We played games like bingo, watched television and just had conversations. I know that sounds like basic little things, but the impact it had truly went a long way.
Spending my summer here I not only got to know the residents personally but also was able to see how certain things affected them. I say this in the realm of talking about their families. Although many of the resident’s family members actively visited their loved ones it was shocking yet sad to face the harsh reality of seeing many who haven’t had any of their family members come to see them.
Now here is where I get to my point. Many individuals don’t visit their loved ones in retirement homes due to the emotional impact it brings on them. Many people who reside in these homes suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia, both progressive diseases that affect one’s memory. This can be hard to see someone you care about and love so deeply struggle to recognize you or forget all the memories you have shared. This is difficult on our mental well-beings, but I feel we must step back and realize the impact it truly has on them.
Residents who never had visitors stop by often asked about their families wondering when they would come home, or when they would come to visit. When seeing others with their families I witnessed many sad residents who missed their own. Taking the time to visit your loved ones in the nursing home benefits them greatly by helping them feel less emotionally and physically alone.
My whole point is that support for your elderly is important; they cannot provide for themselves in a lot of basic ways and providing them that support in nursing homes does not mean we should decline their social interactions. Providing company, even simple interaction, provides them with true happiness.