We are not a scary place

Nursing homes. Skilled Nursing facilities. Sub-acute rehab facilities. Have you heard of them? 

We take your loved ones here for a few reasons: 

1. There’s not enough help at home. Stairs, incontinence issues, maybe cannot get them dressed, they cannot walk, they need special treatments. 

2. The layout of the home is not accessible, the patient needs to be stronger before going home post surgery or after a medical illness. They need therapy to get stronger from weakness or deconditioning. 

3. Your loved one has a medical condition or complications that need a nurse to monitor each day. 

4. Your loved one has wounds that need care each day, daily assessments + monitoring, dialysis support, medication monitoring & so much more. 

Nursing homes are filled with clinicians with a wide variety of disciplines. We are nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, Medicare nurses, occupational therapists, speech therapists, physical therapists, registered dieticians, certified nursing assistants, social workers, activity directors—we collaborate with outside providers as well. We could not do our jobs without our unit coordinators, medical records, dietary department, administration team, Human Resources, hair stylist, receptionist, our owners, scheduler, admissions team, business office, housekeepers, our vendors, psychiatrists, practitioners, psychologists, maintenance teams, EMTs, paramedics+ hospice teams + partners. 

We all have different jobs, but what we all do the same is love your loved one. 

We take in your loved one as one of ours. We greet them with hugs, we celebrate birthdays and milestones, we feel their happiness and their sadness, we worry as if they were our own grandparent, we hold their hand when they are sick, protect them when they are at risk, we fight for them. 

We update their families with every change, every update, every concern, worry or new order from a doctor. We collaborate with our team and look at your loved one as a whole person. We look at them physically, emotionally, mentally. We want them to be well. 

We are not a scary place. We wake them up, help them get dressed and cleaned, help and serve them 3 meals and snacks, we provide therapies they need, we get them stronger to keep going, we teach them how to walk again with a new hip, or how to talk again after a stroke, we teach them how to pull up their socks, we help them with their medications, how to swallow, we teach and guide their families about their new diagnosis and how navigate life now, we help with the transition from home to long term care or hospital to rehab to home, we help your loved one or family to understand dementia and know that it’s okay and we are here to support you and figure it out together, to know you are not alone. We help navigate end of life. We are there for a new diagnosis and unanswered questions, we are there during cancer treatments. 

In a time of crisis and pandemic our will to protect heightens.

We follow CDC guidelines, we wear the PPE, we assess your loved ones, we follow the rules, we protect them with all of our might. We use FaceTime and video chats and calls and window visits when families cannot come because of safer at home, we encourage and support when times feel sad, when we have sick ones, we treat, we sit at bedsides, we collaborate, we find what is best. We fight hard for your loved one. We keep families in the know. We are brave. We are strong. 

Don’t believe the news. We care. We are not a scary place. 

We are a family. We love our patients, our residents. Your family is our family. 

We fight to protect them. 

Help spread the truth.

Meet the founder of The Lake Country Mom
Rachel Reed (also a nurse manager in longterm care)

Hello! I started this blog as a hobby in 2013, and it has surpassed all of my dreams and more ever since. I never imagined I would need help from other amazing women. I was delighted to bring in strong, supportive, encouraging women each with a different passion, writing style, background as a full team of contributing bloggers. Thank you for supporting our dreams + mission.