Nursing Homes near Rochester, MN

Nursing Homes in Rochester, Minnesota

As parents and grandparents get older, they may require more assistance with their daily activities. It often includes assisting them with bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, and laundry among other things. When you have a full-time job, kids, and a household to take care of, you may not be able to add anymore to your schedule. A nursing home can take care of your loved one, and provide them a social situation that supports them as they adjust and grow in their new home. Rochester has several options when your family is ready to look into nursing homes.

All About Rochester

Rochester is another location that has access to great medical care. The Mayo Clinic is actually a huge part of the city's economy, and for those looking to move to the area, the Mayo Clinic draws in two million people each year. The facility employs over 30,000 employees just to keep up with the demand. Rochester is also home to some historically significant places such as the Chateau Theatre and Avalon Music, which was formerly a hotel important to the local civil rights movement. The city has a tradition for its local restaurants and artists called "Thursday's on First", where restaurants and artists can set up booths along First Avenue in downtown Rochester each Thursday during the summer. Although this is certainly a benefit to artists and restaurants, it also benefits residents and tourists as they get to try something new each week. In addition to Thursday's on First, the city also has a symphony orchestra, so those interested in film and classical music can attend those performances. It is a great city for those looking to enter nursing home care as it has plenty of activities to keep seniors entertained.

What You Should Know

When the time comes to visit a nursing home, there are several questions you should ask. First, you should ask if the community is secure. Safety is important to the elderly, especially when they're in an unfamiliar place. Next, ask what type of training the staff has, and how long they have worked in their field. Another important piece of information is the staff to patient ratio. You want to know this for both daytime hours, and night hours. Find out what medical services are available, and how often families are updated about their loved one's well-being. Given the weather in Minnesota, you should also make sure the nursing home has adequate heating and cooling options. Finally, ask what kind of alternative medicines they facility uses, if any. Once you have answers to these questions, you can compare the facilities to one another.

What You and Your Loved One Can Expect

Once you make the decision, the next step is to find the right home. This process can be long, depending on your loved one's preferences, or it can go rather quickly. Once you've decided on a place, the next piece is figuring out how to pay for it. Hopefully you purchased long-term care insurance, which typically covers the cost of nursing homes. However, if not, you might want to look into Medicare and Medicaid. Relying solely on your savings may have your aging loved one back at home with you within six months to a year. After that, the next step is the actual move. If your parent or grandparent is sentimental, this will be a hard step. Be there as a support system for them, and take it as slow as possible to help them feel more comfortable.

Paying for a Nursing Home

The average cost for a nursing home is about $50,000 to $75,000 a year. Areas with a higher cost of living can expect those prices to be higher, and Philadelphia's cost of living is higher than average. With that in mind, you'll need to figure out the best way to pay for nursing home care. As mentioned before, you should have long-term care insurance, which should cover the cost of a nursing home, or at least a portion of it. Make sure you look into a policy well before you make the decision to move your loved one to the nursing home because some of them have time restrictions on them. If the insurance is not an option, you can also look into Medicare and Medicaid, but they have their own set of restrictions, so it's better to start early and prepare.

Deciding that a nursing home is the next step for a loved one is not an easy choice to make. Begin your search by researching nursing homes online. Be prepared to ask questions about the facility and how it treats its residents. You must be comfortable with the nursing home, and so should your loved one. Be sure that you choose a place that meets all of your requirements, and that includes outdoor activities for its residents. Rochester can get rather cold in the winters, with some pretty dangerous temperatures for the elderly, so it's important to ensure the nursing home can meet their needs.