New Trend in Nursing Homes: The Rise of Younger Residents

There’s an interesting new trend in nursing home care.  The number of younger residents in nursing homes has increased in the last few years.  The number of nursing home residents under the age of 65 has jumped 22%.  This means about one in every seven residents is under 65 years of age, some even in their twenties and thirties.  

What’s causing this growing phenomenon in medical care?  The Washington Post reported that it’s due to 1) medical advances that help individuals survive traumatic illnesses and injuries, and 2) the closing of mental health facilities.  Many of these younger residents have suffered severe injuries. Others have neuromuscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis, or have suffered a stroke. 

This trend has proven a challenge for caregivers and residents, because while the younger residents may have some of the same physical demands as older residents, their social and psychological needs are much different.  

While many facilities try to separate the older from the younger generations, this isn’t always possible because of the still small number of younger residents.  This can cause tensions between the generations.  The older residents complain about loud music and young visitors.  On the other hand, the younger residents don’t want to room with someone with dementia, they don’t want to be forced to eat food specifically with the elderly in mind, and hate that the only social activity is bingo.  

Living in these facilities can also cause the younger residents to become depressed not only because of their disabilities or illnesses, but because they’re constantly surrounded by the elderly and dying, and quite simply, they’re lonely.

Some homes have already accommodated these younger guests by giving them their own wing, offering poker instead of bingo, pizza and pop instead of meatloaf and tea.  They even take them out on outings. If this trend continues, the nursing home industry will have to adapt in order to not only give the elderly comfortable quality care, but also the young who suffer from debilitating injuries and illnesses.

Sources: 

Nursing Home Abuse Blog

 

Time Healthland

McKnight's Long Term Health Care News

Keeping Kids Safe: Halloween

by Steve Bulzomi

Halloween is one of the top three holidays that produce the most ER visits.  Finger and hand injuries account for the greatest proportion of injuries during the holiday.  Among those injuries, most are lacerations and fractures, with children ages ten through fourteen years of age sustaining the most injuries.

As a law firm that deals with accidents and injuries on a daily basis we thought it would be wise to talk about how to keep our children safe on Halloween.

Younger children should always be accompanied by an adult.  If your kids are older and will be going Trick or Treating without adult supervision, you might want to remind them of the following:

• Never, ever go into a stranger’s house or car.  If for some reason this happens, tell your child to scream as loud as they can to draw attention, and run away if possible.
• Trick-or-treaters should only approach houses that are well lit. Be aware of neighborhood dogs when trick-or-treating and remember that these pets can impose a threat when you near their home.
•  Kids should always use the sidewalks and not walk in the streets.  They should use caution when crossing the street because they may be hard for drivers to see.  They also shouldn’t cut across lawns or driveways.
• Remind them that there is safety in numbers, so make sure they don’t trick or treat alone.  Have them go in a group and make sure they stay together.
•   Tell them to have their cell phones charged and on.
•  Set a curfew and tell them to call immediately if they will be delayed.
• Make sure they know the difference between tricks and vandalism

Costume Safety:

•   Costumes should be easy to move in and fireproof or treated with fire retardant. 
•  If wearing a mask of any kind, eye holes should be large enough for good peripheral vision.    Make sure your child’s costume won’t cause a tripping hazard while walking.
•  Children should wear sturdy, comfortable, slip-resistant shoes to avoid falls.
• Smooth down all sharp points on props such as fake swords as to not cause injury to themselves or others.
• It’s also a good idea for them to wear a glow stick, reflector, flashing lights or jewelry or to carry a flashlight so they’re more noticeable to cars.

Candy Safety:

• Tell your kids not to eat any candy until they bring it home for you to inspect.
• Throw out all homemade treats to err on the side of caution.
• Have them bring an extra plastic bag in case their candy bag gets to heavy or breaks.

Know what route your child is travelling, where else they might be going, and with whom they're going.

Follow this advice and your child is sure to have a fun and safe Halloween.

Sources:

Jamestown Sun

PRN Newswire