Is Placing A Loved One in a Nursing Home a Bad Idea?

How do you know when it's time to place your loved one into a nursing home? Well, it's one of the hardest decisions I had to make back in 2002 with my first husband. He was dealing with several health issues and I was the sole caregiver for him at the time. He had other family members, but only one came forward to help assist me in caring for him. His niece would give me recommendations as far as how to properly clean him, make sure that he took his medications, cook his meals and to see that he had clean bedding and clean clothing. I must say this was a task that I was not ready to deal with let alone taking care of my two children and working a full time night job. I started to look into home health care aides through the city's social services.

Being a caregiver takes a lot of patience, love, and compassion. While I was caring for my husband, it eventually took its toll on me physically and mentally. I began to question whether I had made the right decision. And to this day, I'm still haunted by that same question, because I'm thinking, maybe had I not placed him in a nursing home, he would still be alive to this day. I began to feel resentment towards him for placing me in such a predicament, but I still did what needed to be done so that he could be comfortable. My husband had severe rheumatoid arthritis, congestive heart issues, and a host of other health conditions which made it hard for me to be with him on a 7 day, 24 hour a day basis. That is when I finally decided that he needed around the clock care. So I started to ask for recommendations for a local nursing home facility in which I could place my husband.

So the time eventually came when I placed him in the nursing facility. My children and I would go to see him whenever I could due to their going to school and me working my night job. It was a rough schedule. In October of 2006, my husband passed away due to complications from congestive heart failure. It was a long, hard battle for him.

All I can say is that placing your loved one in any nursing facility is a private matter that needs to carefully evaluated with your family members. It can be a tough decision, but what matters most is the comfort and the care that your loved one will receive.