There are several advantages to a small home setting for people who need some level of assistance or supervision. In many cases a small live-in facility is better than in-home care, and there are several issues to consider.

One common issue is the reliability of staff. At home, if there is a problem with staff, someone in the family has to stay home with the elder and provide care that day or make other last-minute arrangements. At Tapp Family Home, you don’t need to worry about missing work to care for your loved one. We have long-time employees that are reliable and dependable, and if someone should be unable to make their regular shift, we have staff that can cover for them.

In addition to staff issues, another issue often encountered is one of isolation and loneliness. When people spend much of the day alone they tend to become focused on themselves and how they feel and what they need. When they are around other people, they have things to think about and do other than focus on their own problems. We find that their mood improves and their activity level increases in a group setting. Some problems they have had at home seem to disappear when they arrive in a new setting.

For those considering a large facility or a nursing home something to think about is how confusing and stressful it might be to be relocated into a large, unfamiliar setting where the staff changes daily. For many, a small setting can be more manageable as far as getting familiar with the staff and the daily routine. In addition, the staff at a larger facility won’t have the relationship with the residents that they have at a smaller one because there are just too many.

At Tapp Family Home, we make sure that everyone gets to the table for meals, we know when someone gets turned around at night coming from the bathroom, and we are there to notice the small changes that can signal illness in an older person. We have the privilege of really getting to know our residents and the opportunity to individualize care because we have a small resident-to-nurse ratio.