Of course, nursing homes are going to smell...any ideas on how to lower the smell in my mom's room?

By Vicki on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 07:25 pm:

I have really been getting into the bottles that contain oils that have the reeds in them. I don't know the official name of them (maybe diffusers?), but they would be great for a nursing home. Nothing to plug in and no flame or anything. They come in tons of scents. I have been getting them from QVC, but I know they sell them other places too. This is a link to just one of the sets I have bought:

http://www.qvc.com/asp/frameset.asp?nest=%2Fasp%2FIsItemNumberRedirect.asp&search=SQ&frames=y&referrer=QVC&CLASSLEVEL=&cm_re=PAGE-_-SEARCH-_-SEARCH&txtDesc=room+scents&SearchClass=&search.x=12&search.y=9

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 07:57 pm:

Diffusers on QVC

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 08:29 pm:

Check with the nursing home first about what is allowed. And, nursing homes shouldn't smell. If they do, either the residents who are incontinent are not being changed as frequently as they should be, or someone isn't cleaning the way things should be cleaned.

I would think something like Febreeze, except it doesn't last all that long, would work. I have used various "one drop" type deoderizers, particularly when I was doing cleaning work at a church. They come in small plastic bottles and you put one or two drops on something glass or otherwise non-porous (metal), and they work very well for covering/removing odors.

Otherwise, I would think about some sachets or potpourri - but not in a glass container because of breaking risks. What Vicki is suggesting above also might be good, but again, watch out for glass, and consider the possibility of allergic reactions from some of the other residents or staff.

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 08:32 pm:

If your mom's room smells different or worse than other places, then maybe a suggestion for a thorough cleaning, including washing down the mattress cover and thoroughly cleaning the bed, would be a good idea. See if you can pinpoint where the odor is coming from and bring that to the staff's attention.

This is where frequent visits from family members who will speak out for their family member resident is really important.

By Heaventree on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 09:15 pm:

What about this thingy:

Febreze Scentstories Player with 1 Disc

I have not seen one or used one, but I've seen them advertised in magazines. It's like a cd that you put into a player and it scents the room, I think.

By Vicki on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 09:23 pm:

Oops, didn't realize that link was to the search page. But maybe that is a good thing so you can see all the different scents. The only ones I have opened so far is the very first set on the page. Those two bottles are plastic. I can't say for sure on the other ones yet.

By Mommyof5 on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 09:54 pm:

I absolutely agree with Ginny that nursing homes should NOT smell. My grandparents just moved into a nursing home and my sister and I visited several in the area just to give them the "sniff" test. My mom's mom was in one that was horrible..the stench hit you before you even got the door fully opened.

By Cocoabutter on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 10:09 pm:

http://memberofthefamily.net/

Search Google for other websites that monitor nursing home care, or contact the United Way in your area for some resources to investigate. You can check and see what kind of reports your mom's nursing home has had in recent years, just to be on the safe side.

Of course, we don't know the kind of smell that you are talking about- could it be the smell of cleaning agents, or an unclean smell?

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 06:31 am:

If you call your local county offices, they should have an Office of Aging, and there should be a Nursing Home Ombudsman in that office. This is federally mandated. Also check AARP's website for local resources.

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 06:35 am:

Heidi, start with the nursing home staff, go from the nurse covering your mom's area and up the chain of administration, before you bring in outside people. Maybe it can be settled in-house, and if you start bringing in outside people right away, you may become labeled a trouble-maker, which won't help your mom. Unfortunately, when we have a family member in an institutional setting, we have to walk that chalkline between resolving problems and not upsetting the staff who are taking care of our loved one - a uncomfortable position to be in.

In the end, if you can't get the problem resolved in-house fairly quickly, go back to the social worker who has been helping you, and tell her about the problem. That's what she's there for.

By Insaneusmcwife on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 06:43 am:

I have the febreeze scent story and I really like it.

By Kittycat_26 on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 07:04 am:

I'm going to ask and might regret the answer. What exactly does it smell like? Is it urine? dead animal? Body odor? OR is it cleaning solutions? Laundry soap?

Heidi, I know what you mean when you say that nursing homes are going to smell. They do have an odor about them that your home isn't going to. Partly I think that's because they are continually cleaning after spills (and incontinence).

You should check with the nurses/administration before bringing any sort of smell cover up into the room. Alot of people have allergies to those air freshners and the staff should be aware if you are going to spray anything. Also, plug ins of any kind will need to be checked by their facilities before you would be allowed to plug them into her room. (BIG BIG fire hazard!)

My mom worked in a nursing home for 30 years and I worked in the same one for 5 years through high school and college. It's hard on families when they need to bring someone there to stay. My heart goes out to you but you did what needed to be done.

By Vicki on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 11:01 am:

I hope I understood what you meant about the "smell". My grandmother was in a nursing home for a bit before she passed away and it had a smell too. With that said, it was one of the cleanest places I have ever seen in my life. And that is being said from someone who is a complete neat/clean freak. I think it is just a old person smell if you understand that. Denfiately if you think it is a smell of the place not being taken care of properly you should do something about that! I think hospitals have a funky "smell" too and I am sure they are pretty clean!

By Mommyof5 on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 09:55 pm:

I'm sorry Heidi I automatically assumed the smell you were talking about was that nasty urine smell many nursing homes have.

By Kaye on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 12:42 am:

Old people just have that smell sometimes.

At one time I had a ceramic/clay disk that sat ontop of the light bulb, you put oil drops on it once a month and it smelled nice due to the heat.

By Conni on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 09:41 pm:

I dont know what is allowed- but they make some beautiful Diffuser's now. There is a collectible brand which I dont suggest you buy to leave there- but our Hallmark store sells some that are every bit as cute- La Tee Da brand and I love them. I sent my step mil one for her new house and my Grandma one for Christmas. No flame, great scents to choose from and absolutely beautiful bottles!!!!!!!!!!

Every nursing home AND hosp I have been in has an *odor* of some sort. Event he cafeteria at our hosp has an odor that I dont find pleasant. LOL

By Mrsheidi on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 10:22 pm:

It's a urine/old people smell and I'm still working on getting it taken care of...thanks everyone!

By Dana on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 11:37 pm:

I was watching HGTV today and they made a comment that getting rid of drapery makes a huge difference. Perhaps you can have the drapes drycleaned. Wash down everything with vinegar (a great deoderizer) Wash bed linens in vinegar. Vinegar will even get rid of cat urine smell (I got rid of the smell in my down comforter after my kitty got to it).

By Boxzgrl on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 11:55 pm:

I use the Air Wick Freshmatics that have an automatic spray that can be set to go off every 9,18 or 36 minutes. Two of them make my house smell lovely! They last for about a month each time I refill.

Here's the link:
http://www.airwick.us/freshmatic.shtml