Young and in a nursing home ...

I will have a new client this week, Mrs. J.  She is only there for rehab.  She had a TKA removed due to MRSA.  She has a woundVac and can not put any weight on that leg.  As I was reviewing her chart, I noticed that she is only 52.  Wow!  That is really young to go to a SNF, even if it is just for rehab; only 2 years older than my husband. This is not an isolated incident.  According to www.npr.org, 1 in 7 nursing home residents is now under 65.  This is due to SNF care being relatively less expensive than hospital care.  According to the following article, though, it is actually cheaper in the long run to hire in-home care than to be in a SNF.  http://www.npr.org/2010/12/09/131912529/a-new-nursing-home-population-the-young

That made me think, what kind of emotional impact does being so young and fairly healthy have on a person when they are in a SNF and around so many patients that are in the latter stages of their life.  I can see that it might have 2 different effects on the person, depending on their personality type.  The person could try reaching out to others, visiting others and striking up conversations.  This person would definitely have to be a very social, up-beat type person, but could find their time in the SNF  somewhat rewarding.  On the other hand, a person may start to reclude and draw up into themselves, feeling depressed and somewhat hopeless.  It wouldn't take long for someone to become really depressed, since depression seems to feed off of itself.

What can I do to make Mrs. J not only more able to do the ADLs that she needs to do to go home, but also to lift her spirits and help her to feel good about herself?  The main thing that will brighten her spirits is to have immediate success and see progress.  Crafts tend to provide immediate success, and doing them therapeutically can also help the client achieve their physical goals.  I am excited, not only to meet my new pt, but also to help her physically and emotionally meet her goals.

I found a couple of good articles about young people in SNFs and how some are fighting to stay out of nursing homes and in their own homes.  Check these out.
http://www.aolhealth.com/2011/01/07/young-people-nursing-homes/

Doing a little research, I found that about 1 in 7 people in SNF are under the age of 65.  This is a growing problem because it is a cheaper option for insurance companies.