Sharing a Room in a Geriatric Center, Essay Example

According to the Department of Health for the state of New York, it is the right of all nursing home residents to decide if they wish to share a room with a spouse, a close relative, or a long-term partner when both are “residents in the facility and consent to the shared arrangement” (“Life at the Facility”). This also holds true for the state of California which stipulates in its policies related to nursing homes and geriatric centers that if a couple is married and both live in the same facility, they have the right to share a room (“Nursing Home Residents’ Rights”), just as if they were living in their own home.

Certainly, the practice of allowing an elderly married couple to share a room at a nursing home should be openly encouraged for several reasons. First, considering that an elderly couple (in this instance a man and a woman) may have been married for perhaps many decades, keeping them together in the same room reinforces their relationship and allows them to help one another on a daily basis. Second, living together in the same room provides companionship, due to the fact that many nursing home residents end up all alone or abandoned by their friends and loved ones who often view them as a burden. Third, this type of arrangement creates a sense of security through knowing that a loved one, such as a wife or a husband, is close by and ready to provide warmth and comfort in times of need or sickness. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, living together in the same nursing home room helps to solidify the bond between a husband and wife, two close relatives, or as in today’s world, the bond between two elderly people, whether male or female, who have lived together for many years via a long-term partnership. In effect, by encouraging this type of arrangement, nursing home administrators will appear to potential residents as more understanding of their personal needs and wants and more open to the ever-changing demands of society.

Bibliography

“Life at the Facility.” Department of Health, State of New York. 2010. Web. 5 March 2012.

“Nursing Home Residents’ Rights.” California Department of Public Health. 2002. Web. 5 March 2012.