A home plus is a “residence or facility caring for not more than 12 individuals … who … need personal care or supervised nursing care to help with limitations in activities of daily living,” according to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Furthermore, many believe that this is a perfect option for their loved ones when they can no longer care for themselves without some guided assistance.
At Keepsake Kottage, we have four home-plus locations in Wichita and one home-plus location in Rose Hill. One thing that sets us apart from other home-plus companies is that we specialize in Dementia and Alzheimer’s care. Our employees undergo training in order to keep growing in their understanding of caring for these special patients.
I want to discuss five benefits of choosing a home-plus for your loved one over traditional nursing facilities.
1. Employee-to-Resident Ratio
One of the biggest things that set us apart from nursing facilities is the outstanding employee-to-resident ratio we maintain at Keepsake Kottage. During the day there are two employees and eight residents. This benefits the residents because they are seen and cared for throughout all day hours. Unfortunately, in other long-term care facilities, the required ratio is one nursing employee to thirty residents. As you can imagine, many times when a resident needs help the Nursing Aide is not able to assist them in a timely fashion due to the unfair ratio.
2. Home-Cooked Meals and Family-Style Dining
Another great benefit for our residents is that all of our meals are made at Keepsake Kottage in our very own kitchen! We have four rotating cookbooks that each correspond with one month. All of these meals were created with healthy ratios of protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains for our residents. Another benefit to meal time is that it is served “family-style”, allowing all of our residents to eat together, talk, and enjoy each other’s company during every meal! If one of our residents has food allergies or does not like a particular food, we have a separate alternative menu for them to choose from! Our House Managers do the grocery shopping and can add items to the grocery list depending on what our residents like to eat!
3. Intimacy
We pride ourselves in being a small company. Furthermore, our staff working the floor works very closely with our two nurses rotating between houses and our office nurse. The employees talk with our nurses daily about monitoring the resident’s health status. Also, the employees are able to pay closer attention to each resident’s health because of the ratio, as mentioned previously. Lastly, we have seen time and time again that the residents become close as well. After spending months together interacting and sharing their past stories, they become like family.
4. The Home Environment
Numerous studies have shown how positive the home environment is for seniors and their quality of life. Unfortunately, in many cases, it is not possible to care for your loved one when they need more assistance than you can handle. Instead of paying a large amount of money for a private home health aide, your loved one can still be in a home environment with the company of staff and other seniors experiencing the same stage of life. They also have the same benefits of living in their home by decorating their room, enjoying the living room and kitchen areas, and even spending time outside on the patio or going on a walk through the residential area with a staff member.
5. Activities!
Activities are extremely beneficial for seniors to participate in. They can aid in cognitive function, memory processing, and emotional health. We have a large range of different activities that the residents can participate in such as; bingo, card games, domino, puzzles, board games, time outside, cooking with the staff, painting nails, fixing hair, and so on. Ensuring that the residents are participating in some activities boosts their mood and helps them connect with the staff and other residents!
All in all, the benefits of our home plus set us apart from any other nursing facilities and home plus locations in the surrounding area. When it is time to seek assistance in caring for your loved one, we hope that you take all of our benefits into account and choose one of our homes!