Living in a nursing home comes with both benefits and challenges. Still, while these facilities are designed to care for and support their residents and help them live as comfortably as possible, that’s not always the case. Most times, it’s not the staff or the facility itself, but the emotional effect of being far from home.

Studies suggest that some seniors deteriorate after going into a nursing home, and for many reasons.

Loss of Independence and Control

What most seniors who found themselves in nursing homes find the most difficult of all is losing their independence. All of a sudden, the simple decisions such as when to get up, eat, bathe or participate in activities that are just “simple parts of life” are dictated by the clock. For those who have been calling the shots for most of their lives, this can be truly infuriating. Sadly, over time, this loss of control can have an effect on mood, drain motivation, and make it harder to keep moving or engage in daily life activities.

Emotional Stress and Grief

As with other changes, when someone moves to a nursing home they’re not just changing their address, but their life, and that can feel like losing something really important. Many of them say it’s very hard to give up the familiar surroundings, their neighbors, pets and memories associated with the home they so abruptly abandoned. That feeling of loss can be even worse if the move was not entirely their decision.

The chronic emotional stress they suddenly face can easily affect the quality of their sleep and their immune system, causing anxiety or depression, all of which can negatively impact their physical health.

Social Isolation Despite Being Around Others

While most nursing homes are full of residents, many of them still feel a powerful sense of loneliness. The chats they engage in tend to be superficial, and it is not always easy to make close friends, particularly when you have obstacles like memory loss, hearing problems, or different life experiences. The lack of meaningful social connections can easily lead to withdrawal and losing interest in daily activities. And unfortunately, these changes are too often simply brushed off as just getting old.

Reduced Physical Activity

Some safety concerns that nursing homes have regarding their residents can result in restricted physical activity.

Elderly people are at times advised to sit and not walk, or to use wheelchairs when they can still walk on their own. Restricted movement can result in muscle weakness, balance problems and a greater risk of falls over time. These decreases physical activities can also cause a more rapid physical deterioration, which in turn causes more decreases in activity, ending in a downward spiral that can be very difficult to stop.

Overmedication and Medical Changes

When seniors move into nursing homes, it’s not unusual for their medication routines to be changed. Sometimes, they are given additional meds to help them sleep better or help with anxiety and other similar issues. Although these drugs can be useful to a certain degree, they may also produce side effects such as disorientation, tiredness, or loss of appetite.

Sadly, overmedication can impact even the healthiest minds and body.

Lack of Personal Attention

Another issue with nursing homes is the shortage of staff. Most times, a single caregiver needs to look after too many residents at the same time, which limits the time and attention they can give to each individual.

When seniors’ individual needs and emotional concerns are not fully taken into consideration, they can feel unseen or unheard.

This absence of that personal touch can cause a gradual emotional shutdown and a decline in overall health.

The truth is that not every senior experiences decline in a nursing home, but for some, the mix of emotional loss, the feeling of lost independence, less physical activity, and limited personal attention can have a significant impact.