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My loved one was recently placed in a nursing home and is sharing a private room with another person. It is too small for any furniture other than a bed, a badly placed nightstand and a single chair between the beds.

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My mother's NH is 50 years old. Fifty years ago the medical equipment available was very limited. My mother is unable to bear weight on her legs and all of her transfers involve a large piece of equipment that barely fits into the room and into the bathroom. Her roommate has a large oxygen tank and also a portable one. Both women use wheelchairs. There is no room for a guest chair.

The very small bathroom is shared by two rooms (4 people). When the roommate goes in with her oxygen tank she cannot shut the door. When my mother is being held up in the lift equipment to have her backside cleaned the door must be fully open. These two women have no dignity in their bathroom functions.

The room would be very acceptable for ONE occupant, if the bathroom was enlarged. But that would mean a major loss of income. The NH may not be able to stay open. (They provide excellent care. It is just the size of the rooms that is dreadful.)

So, my guess is that there isn't a size requirement -- except, perhaps, for new construction.
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There probably is a State requirement as to how many square feet is allowed for each patient for new construction.... which means just enough space for a hospital bed, night stand, wardrobe cabinet or dresser, bed tray table, hamper, and one guest chair. That was all that my Mom in her space. But the bathroom was quite large, lot of space to turn around a wheelchair, etc. The building was built just a couple of years ago.

The building my Mom was in, one could request a private room which was the same size, but the cost would have been more. The continuing care centers get paid per bed use, so for them it make economical sense to have two patients in each room. Mom wanted a room-mate, and the room-mate was very helpful whenever Mom slipped out of bed unto the floor, she was able to ring the nurse.

One thing I noticed is that the Admin personnel, such as billing, were squeezed into a tiny space. Also, the food prep kitchen was also very small, thus cramming a lot of workers into a small space.
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It is a sad reality when we see what is considered "home" for a loved one. Is this a permanent placement? If you are really concerned I would call a local Senior advocate type agency and ask for the dimensions. Also ask to see the homes annual license approval certificate if you think the they are skimping on the space. Depending on the loved ones mobility and needs many times they might not notice the size as much as you do. If the funds are available you might want to consider a move. Depending on their needs you might try an Adult Foster Care home. Sharing space is not bad if the quality of the care is better!
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I looked around online and found many different bedroom size requirements for individual states but there's not a federal requirement for the bedroom and bathroom sizes in facilities. That's part of the problem! There should be a federal system for many issues in nursing homes, like the nurse to patient ratio or the cna to patient ratio. Under staffed, over worked staff take their frustrations out on us, the residents. Anyway.... to answer your question. Maybe you should find a better place for your relative, if its even possible. If they cant even shut the doors to give personal care its time to go hun!
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