It has been a harrowing week but one with a good outcome. My mother in law has moved from a pleasant single bed ensuite room in one aged care home to a two bed room with linoleum floors in another.

Sound like some burst of vengeance upon the mother-in-law after 36 years of criticism?  Not at all. My wife and I and my sister in law are really pleased she is in a shared room.

While here is much ado about the private room with ensuite, for someone with a cognitive impairment, isolation is the enemy.

We need to think about the individual when looking for the right aged care home. Who are they, do they need company, are they at risk of a fall, are they social? These are the considerations that need to be attended to the most, not privacy and prestige.

[Photo: Bupa Modbury]

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