5 Steps to Find a Good Nursing Home

25 Sep 5 Steps to Find a Good Nursing Home

Care of our aging parents and relatives is a key concern today. Many times the physical and time demands are beyond what most modern working people can handle. Nursing homes have risen to the needed challenge and many times are welcome partners in managing elder care for your relatives.
Rasansky Law Firm put together these five key things to look for in a nursing home as you begin the search to place your loved one.

1. List your priorities
First, decide what you want. There are three levels of housing for the elderly. Independent apartments for people who can still take good care for themselves, assisted living facilities for those who need help with meals, laundry, medications, etc., and nursing homes for those who need greater supervision and care. Once people live in the facility and experience the best equipment they have, which you can review on this website, they move to increasing levels of care as they need to.

2. Do your research
Ask around to find the most reputable facility. Friends, family and clergy can help get the word out for you, and personal references are the best kind.

Ask some experts. The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging has a list of reputable homes and resources.

3. Visit and interview
You can ask a few questions over the phone, but you won’t really get a sense of what the place is like until you go there and meet the staff and director. Ask caregivers about everything from fees to meals. Get a schedule of daily activities and the center’s policies. Pay attention to your gut feeling and how the director or caregiver handles the questions.

4. Check references
Ask each facility you’re considering for a list of past and present references. Nothing is more convincing than hearing how other families rate their care.

When you call, ask specific questions like what exactly they like about it and what they don’t. If their loved one is no longer there, ask why. You may also want to call your state’s Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the center or caregiver.

5. Bring your loved one
Come back and visit for a while with your loved one. You’ll want to see how he and the caregiver interact and if he seems comfortable in the center’s environment.

These steps will help you get on the road to finding a great home for your loved ones. We want to help you prevent some of the cases we have seen. Bed sores, bed railing entrapment, medicine mix-ups with deadly results and physical and sexual abuse are not pleasant but do happen. We help those individuals that feel their loved one has been neglected or abused in a nursing home and are glad to review the details of your case for free if you suspect nursing home abuse.