Looking for useful room organization ideas for a nursing home room. Any advice?

She is going to share a room. So that cuts her area in half. One reason I picked Moms NH was because each person in the room had their own closet. (Her rehab had one large closet that the residents split. Clothes mixed up all the time.) There was already a bed and a side table. Some people bring in a small dresser or a favorite chair. Mom's NH did not allow her recliner but a chair was given for her use. Mom is not going to be able to take what she has in the AL. I took one season of clothes leaving the other season in a tote at my house. She will not need a lot of shoes because the aides seem to put on the same pair everyday. Make sure they are comfortable shoes. No nick nacks. Mom had a cork board so cards and pictures could be hung there. Do not take anything worth any money. Don't buy expensive clothing. The laundry will wreck it.

Bathroom will be shared. I had a container next to Moms bed with her toothbrush, toothpaste and favorite brush. In the 5 months she was there the toothpaste was not touched and sure the other items weren't. They continued to use what they provide, travel size toothpaste in a brand she did not like. Little plastic bristle brush that did nothing but put static in her hair and their toothbrushes. I put a sign on her toiletries saying "please use what is provided". Don't think it wirked. Because she is sharing a bathroom, remember the aides may "share" her toiletries with the other resident.

LTC is not going to be like an AL where Mom probably saw the same aide everyday. NH have aides working 8 hr shifts and12 hr shifts. Weekends different staff. CNAs and LPNs do the hands on care very rarely is an RN involved. RNs usually do the paperwork and oversee the CNAs and LPNs.

I have probably written a depressing outlook but its the reality of placing a LO in LTC. They will not get that special care that you would give or that she may have gotten in the AL. NHs are short staffed right now so the ones working are expected to pick up the slack. Mom is not the CNAs only responsibility. They have her and several others they have to get up and ready for breakfast. They have duties they have to do besides caring for residents. CNAs do the dirty work. My daughter worked Rehab/NHs for 20 yrs. She told me what I should complain about and what I needed to let go.

What I can say on a positive note is everyone I dealt with at Moms NH took very good care of my Mom. She was easy to care for. She was always clean, not always so at the AL. Seemed as happy as she could be with Dementia. Everyone had patience with the residents. I came in one time and a nurse was sitting talking to Mom. My experience was a good one if I put my OCD aside.😊

Always ask before you complain. Ask about the CNAs routine. My daughter explained it to me. You will be surprised what they do. Ask the laundress what the turn around is for the laundry. Moms was 3 days. This gives you an idea how many outfits need to be in the closet at anyone time taking into consideration needing to change because of soiling an outfit. I went to Moms room once just before bedtime to find an aide putting a hospital gown on Moms bed, I told him Mom had plenty of nightgowns she did not need a hospital gown. I ended up not saying anything to the RN because maybe the gowns were easier to put on Mom instead of the Tshirt type gowns my Mom liked to wear. (I so hate hospital gowns. Nothing covering you on the back. The ties come loose)

I took pictures of everything that went with Mom to the NH. Helped to identify lost items or clothing. Found her lost glasses because I had a picture. The hair dresser mixed Moms up with another residents. Be a presence. You don't have to visit everyday but they need to know there is someone advocating for this resident.

I got a basket from Bed Bath & Beyond that attaches to a mirror or tiled shower wall with big suction cups. All of Mom's things for the bathroom fit in it -- it was big -- and those suction cups kind of screw on to create the suction, so it stayed on that mirror for the entire time she lived there with heavy things like shampoo bottles and body wash. It never let loose and fell.

I think we had two of them -- one for the shower and one I put just above the faucets on the mirror. Mom could reach all those things from a wheelchair, but she had help anyway.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/squared-away-neverrust-aluminum-suction-bath-collection/826798?keyword=suction-shower-caddy&skuId=

One thing I noticed at my mom's NH was that everything tended to get piled on the night stand, her bathroom was shared so everything was kept bedside. I flirted with the idea of replacing that with a tower storage unit like the ones used in bathrooms, it would have had the same foot print but provided a lot more storage. And in my opinion lazy susan trays are a great way to make things more easily accessible for anyone with limited reach.

Does she have a custom tilt in place wheelchair? That is the number one best thing I purchased for my mother, it was where she spent her days and allowed her to comfortably take part in life beyond her room.

My Mom is completely bed bound. She's not in a Nursing Home, she's in our living room in a hospital bed. She is unable to sit up on her own.
On one side she has a hospital table that I bought. It holds a phone, a flashlight, some wet wipes and Alexa.
On the other side of the bed ( the side she can reach easier ) she has two small tables. I bought a small folding tray/table at Walmart and it holds her cough drops, kleenex, hand sanitizer, water, remote control for TV and dog biscuits for her dog.

Adjacent to it is another hospital table I bought. It houses her digital book reader and it is the table we use for her to eat in bed. I just swing it in and set up the food/drink.

Anything else she needs she just asks me for. The way we have it set up is working well. Whenever I change her/bathe her I only have to move two of the tables out of the way.

Katey, the Hospital Bed tray my Mom uses is by "Drive Medical" and it's a non-tilt one. We like Drive products very much. Her Walker (that she used to use is by Drive) and her wheelchair is that brand, also. We've had good luck with the Drive Medical brand.

My dad shared a room and I got a bookcase that had 3 shelves above his bed. I set this up as his head board and it gave him plenty of space for items that he used regularly and the lower shelves were great to store extra items.

Perhaps something similar at the side of her bed?