There's No Place Like Home

Five Ways Senior Care Facilities Bring Home to Healthcare

Few storied characters epitomize the longing for home more than Dorothy in the iconic movie 'The Wizard of Oz.' Blown to 'Oz' by a prairie twister, Dorothy's struggle to get back home takes her on a frightening journey.

At the end of her adventures Dorothy is told to click her heels three times while repeating the phrase, 'There's no place like home.' She does so, and is transported back to her beloved home in Kansas, where all is well again.

When the circumstances of life dictate that someone must leave the familiar surroundings of home for a senior care facility, they may find themselves feeling more like Dorothy than not.

Unfamiliar surroundings, strange people and even someone else's cooking can make the transition difficult – if not miserable.

That's why more and more senior care facilities are adding special touches to their centers to make them look, feel, taste and even smell like home. Not only do these special touches make senior care facilities more welcoming, they help ease the transition for seniors during one of the most difficult seasons of life.

Here are five techniques senior care facilities are using to make their centers feel more like home.

Technique #1: Architectural designs with the look and feel of home

One of the newest trends in senior care facilities is to build or renovate centers to look and feel more like home, with residential-style layouts replacing traditional institutional corridors: private bedrooms and baths arranged around communal living areas featuring couches, a fireplace, art-adorned walls and a full kitchen and dining room, rather than a single large ward.

Technique #2: Comfortable common areas for entertaining family and friends

One easy fix is to update common visiting areas. Contemporary interior designs, paint finishes, furniture and rugs help make centers feel more like home. These areas are great places for family members and friends to visit seniors but also serve as visual reminders of home.

Technique #3: Upgrade meal choices and dining options

Like hospital food, meals provided in senior care facilities can be bland and predictable. But more and more facilities are paying special attention to meal preferences. This not only encourages patients toward better nutrition but makes their lives more enjoyable.

To improve the meal experience, senior care facilities are:

Asking residents for their input regarding meals
Consulting with registered dieticians to ensure proper nutrition
Personalizing meals by addressing preferences and dietary restrictions
Offering flexible dining schedules to accommodate everyone from the early-to-bed crowd to the night owls
And even providing meals that taste home-cooked.

Technique #4: Pet Therapy On Demand

Pets have long been used therapeutically in hospitals, rehab centers and other healthcare settings. Senior care facilities have found that roaming cats and chirping parakeets in their centers not only have a calming and soothing effect on residents but can also make their centers feel warmer and less institutional.

Technique #5: The use of scent in common areas

With new cold-infusion scent distribution systems, senior care facility owners and managers now have the power to create a more inviting atmosphere for their residents, guests and staff.

These state-of-the-art systems atomize essential oils, converting them into invisible molecules and dispersing them through common areas. Specific essential oils are chosen to achieve certain effects. For example, the scent of lavender relaxes, citrus energizes, and cinnamon promotes focus and a sense of purpose.

Scent can also enhance mood. Due to the inherent factors of aging, senior care facility residents often experience negative emotions such as anxiety and agitation as well as physical challenges such as poor appetite, memory loss, and insomnia. Scent can serve as a sort of ongoing ambient support, helping to calm residents, encourage healthy behaviors and even recall pleasant memories.

For example, a specific scent may bring back memories of events and emotions locked away for years – memories that can range from baked goods and barbeque to flowers and fresh air.

When seniors are forced to leave their homes due to failing health, it can be traumatic and even depressing. Senior care facilities that work to make their centers look and feel more like home help seniors live out their final years with more joy, dignity and a higher quality of life.