What Items Should You Label In a Nursing Home or Assisted Living?

Let’s talk about labeling personal items in a nursing home or assisted living. 

Let’s be honest – being an adult is expensive. Between the multiple electronics, articles of clothing, and miscellaneous items (Hello, water bottles, purses, glasses!), it’s essential to keep track of these items to avoid constantly re-buying them. When a friend or a family member is living in a nursing home or assisted living facility, the chances of losing precious items increase and it becomes more crucial to label clothes, electronics, and important items.

After all, many of our items are irreplaceable. Certain things can have sentimental value or essential memories attached to them. Whether it’s a beloved sweater, a photo album filled with memories of a family member, or even your grandchild’s art project – these are the items that are irreplaceable and cannot be lost. 

For an adult living in a nursing home, it’s important for them to track their items and label clothing, personal items, and personal belongings to make sure they can keep track of their things and avoid losing them. Knowing that labeling items in nursing homes are so important, let’s discuss what should be labeled in nursing homes and why labeled items in nursing homes are important.

What to Label in Nursing Homes

1. Label Clothing

2. Label Bedding and Towels

3. Label Toiletries

4. Label Electronics

5. Label Pictures and Sentimental Items

6. Label Medications

Label Clothes 

In nursing homes, it’s important to keep track of a resident’s closet by labeling their clothes. Make sure that the clothes that are labeled include everyday wardrobe essentials along with shoes, coats, special occasion outfits, and outfit accessories.  

Pro Tip: To label clothes easily, try using Labels To Last’s Press and Stick clothing labels. These labels are stress-free to apply and are high-quality, waterproof, and both laundry and dryer safe! 

Additionally, in a nursing home, nursing home residents are not always taking care of their own laundry. This is why it’s so important to label clothing. When someone else is washing and drying clothes at an assisted living facility, a resident’s favorite t-shirt or sock may have an increased risk of accidentally ending up in another resident’s hamper. Not only does labeled laundry help nursing home patients keep track of their own clothes, but it also helps prevent clothing loss and mix-ups with another resident’s laundry.

To keep track of a family member’s favorite sweaters, jackets, and t-shirts at an assisted living facility, simply apply one of Label To Last’s clothing labels to the clothing tag. The beauty of Label to Last’s labels is avoiding using messy laundry or fabric markers or difficult and time-consuming sew-in labels. 

Labels To Last knows it can be such a hassle to write on each piece of clothes with a permanent ink laundry marker. Not only is a permanent ink laundry marker messy and allows room for error, but it can also mark clothes when washed on the wrong setting and can ruin a loved one’s clothes with messy ink. In comparison, Labels To Last stick on fabric labels are easy to use, super durable, and mess-free! 

By labeling your clothes with Labels To Last, you can make sure you know where all your favorite clothing pieces are at all times.

Another Pro Tip: If you’re looking for more durable labels for frequently-used and loved clothing, try Labels To Last’s pre-cut iron labels. These iron-on clothing labels are perfect for the active adult who frequently exercises or is on the go. They are especially great for athletic-wear and consistently washed items such as washcloths, socks, and towels. To apply these, all you need is a hot iron and an ironing board. These labels are pre-cut and can be pulled off the label page, applied to the article of clothing, and ironed on within seconds!! 

Bedding and Towels

In a nursing home environment, towels and sheets can be easily swapped from room to room if not appropriately labeled and can be overall hard to keep track of! So, in case your cozy sheet set or favorite pillowcase ends up missing, it is proactive to label your bedding and towels properly. We recommend our iron-on clothing labels to label these items that’ll prevent your bedding and towels from disappearing. These iron-clothing labels are super durable and unlike other label brands that eventually wear, our iron-on labels are guaranteed to be durable and wash-resistant. 

Toiletries

Toiletries are an important part of our daily routine. Many of us use the same products every day, and if these products go missing, they can be expensive to replace. By labeling your toiletries, you can make sure you always know where they are, and if you leave your products on the bathroom counter, you won’t have to fret that your items won’t be returned. 

Pro Tip: To avoid labels that peel off when they make contact with water, try our waterproof name labels. These labels come in two sizes and are very personalizable and are also great for toiletries because of their scratch-resistant and durable qualities. When masking tape and permanent markers are used to label toiletries, those labels eventually wears as they continually make contact with water. With Labels To Last, the fear of name labels eventually wearing does not have to exist. 

Another Pro Tip: Keep all your toiletries together in breathable mesh bags or a small washing basket. This will help keep your toiletries all together and prevent forgetting important toiletries back in your room! Additionally, the holes in the mesh bag or small laundry bin will help prevent mold from growing on your toiletries and will allow them to dry after being used in the shower or by the sink. 

Electronics

Electronics are becoming more and more common in our everyday lives, but they are also more costly items to lose! By labeling electronics like your laptop, cell phone, or tablet, you can make sure you always know where your electronics are, and you will save yourself a small fortune by not having to re-purchase a missing smartphone or tablet.

Pro Tip: To label electronics, we once again recommend the Labels To Last waterproof adult name labels. These labels are durable, and they will make sure your iPad or iPhone returns safely back into your hands! 

Another Pro Tip: When personalizing these labels, make sure to include your room number and a phone number to contact in case they are found, so your electronics make it safely back to you!

Pictures and Sentimental Items

Pictures and sentimental items are the items that your loved ones cannot afford to lose, which means they are the most important to properly label! Keep those heirloom or keepsake items safe by making sure they are all labeled with the nursing home residents’ names and their proper contact information. These are irreplaceable items and to keep them organized, make sure they can be returned to you or the nursing home resident if they ever go missing.

Pro Tip:  If the personal belongings are cloth-based items, try a Labels To Last clothing label. If the personal item is a more solid item like a photo frame, jewelry box, or journal, we recommend our waterproof adult name labels. 

Medications

Medications are another important part of a resident’s daily routine that are crucial to label. They are essential for your family member’s health and well-being. For those who are nursing residents, labeling your medications can also be a great aid to those assisting you in the nursing home. When it comes time to take your medications, having a properly labeled medication container makes sure you’re receiving the right medications and lowers the risk of a medication switch-up.

Why Labeled Items are Important

As we mentioned earlier, many items are irreplaceable, and many items are expensive to replace. Especially in a nursing home or community living space, the risk of misplacing items is higher, and it’s important to properly label items so you can always know where they are. Not only will you save yourself the heartache of losing items that are near and dear to your heart, but you’ll also save yourself time and money searching for and replacing missing things. 

So to eliminate that fear of misplacing your personal items and sentimental keepsakes, start labeling your items. Ditch those laundry and fabric markers and embrace our laundry labels and iron labels! Our stick fabric labels make the process of labeling your loved one’s clothing and personal items pain-free and seamless. 

Try Label To Last clothing and name labels today to guarantee your labels are high-quality, resistant, and waterproof! Ditch the masking tape and trips to the craft store to try and find a permanent marker or fabric marker and shop Labels to Last now.