How to Choose a Nursing Home

Choosing a nursing home can cause a lot of anxiety and feelings of guilt for families. Most often the decision has been made for a nursing home because of health or mental declines and the family cannot give them the proper care necessary. With all the horror stories of abuse, neglect, and death in nursing homes, choosing the right facility must be accompanied with doing your homework. By involving your loved one in the decision-making process it will help build acceptance with this major change. Start with a list of nursing homes that are close to family and friends so that visitors can check in on your loved one as often as possible.

Nursing homes that are certified for Medicare and Medicaid may help cover costs if that is a concern when choosing a nursing home. By finding out as much as possible about each nursing home you visit you can better understand and determine what you would like. It is suggested to speak to as many people as possible to gain more information on the nursing home.

Suggested people to speak with are:

• long-term care ombudsman who visits nursing homes and investigates complaints
• doctors, hospital social workers, clergy, and other professionals who are familiar with nursing homes
• family members and friends of people who live in the nursing homes
• residents of the nursing homes
• nursing home employees, especially nursing assistant who give 90% of the care

Good questions to ask regarding the nursing homes are:

• do people you talk to regard this as a good nursing home?
• has the state licensing agency found an unusual number of violations here?
• have residents or their families filed a lot of complaints against it?
• are residents admitted to the hospital from this nursing home with medical problems caused by poor care?
• does the home have enough staff and nursing assistants to give residents the proper care and personal attention they need?
• is the staff friendly, considerate, and helpful?
• are there a lot of staff changes because workers leave?
• does staff do their jobs well?
• does the nursing home provide the special services your loved one needs?
• are there always enough linens and other supplies?
• are families concerned about fee increases or extra charges for supplies or services?
• is the “quality of life” good, like choices of food at meals and what clothing to wear, a homelike environment, and interesting or entertaining activities?
• does the nursing home have an active resident council?
• are there some really good things about this facility?

You can review the state surveys of each home that you have an interest in because Medicare and Medicaid facilities are required by law to let you see their survey reports. By visiting the nursing homes more than once it will allow you to notice things you may not have noticed previously. By going during the week and also during the weekend, as well as eating a few meals there, you can get a good sense of what living conditions exist at that particular nursing home.

You should be aware of how the staff treats all the residents with friendliness, patience, and respect, and promptly answering calls for assistance. Are the residents participating in a variety of activities, including physically? Check the food to see if it is well balanced, varied, and good tasting and served in pleasant conditions. The nursing home should appear lived in and residents should be able to personalize and use decorations from home.

Signs to look for that may indicate improper care at a nursing home include strong smells of urine and feces, vests and other devices that tie or hold people down in their beds, lack of privacy, lack of dignity, unanswered calls for help, inactivity and loneliness, and lack of help with eating.