no no, there are over 17,000 nursing homes in the United States. Fortunately, you’ll just have to do a little research on the relatively few that are in a convenient location for you. (This is all part of a plan that needs to be done long before you have to locate a nursing home for your elder.) Location is one of the most important considerations when beginning your search for a suitable nursing home for your senior. You may be able to find the best all-round nursing home in a community that is 100 miles from where you live.
Don’t be tempted to sign so easily! Be prepared to settle for a facility that may be a notch or two below your first choice if it means it’s close and convenient for you and your family members. The elderly who are not visited regularly in their new environment will quickly become depressed, thinking that no one cares about them. They will feel abandoned and end up with feelings of worthlessness.
If you have searched and chosen a few houses to visit in your area, give them a call and ask them the following questions:
Are there Medicaid certified beds at that facility?
If so, find out how many there are because cost can be a very important component in choosing a nursing home.
Will the nursing home meet the needs of your elder?
What is the basic cost?
Find out what services are included in the base price.
Do you have any extra service available?
Services, even at an additional charge, will be welcomed by your senior. Things like cable TV, a private phone, laundry service, or even someone to do their hair are great deals. Find out the costs associated with these services.
Once you’ve gone through this process and narrowed your list down to three or four options, follow the five tips below to make the process as thorough as possible.
1. Take a formal tour
Take a mental note of what you see. You will know if the installation will fit well in a short period of time, simply by trusting your senses. Does the house feel good, smell good, and is it clean? What about the noise level? Will your eldest be able to sleep?
2. Ask your representative for the most recent Medicare survey report
All Medicare and Medicaid certified facilities undergo an annual inspection. These inspections are unannounced and remain between 3 and 5 days. They turn the place upside down, just looking for violations. Residents are interviewed and the inspection team observes how care is provided to them. They check the kitchen, bathrooms and look for any food safety issues that may be present. They are on the lookout for any signs of problems such as abuse or neglect. The report will contain a list of the problems, along with a plan to correct them.
You can also find shorter versions of these reports on the medicare dot gov website.
It would be unrealistic to think that he will find a home without any kind of violation. These inspection teams really do a good job, so you can expect there to be at least a few violations. In fact, even the best homes average 8 violations per inspection. The violations that should worry you the most and push you in another direction will be those that put your well-being or life at risk.
If you run into an administrator who won’t give you the report, hit the road and don’t come back.
3. Get permission from the manager to attend a monthly resident meeting
This will give you a chance to find out what care is out there. really like!
4. Don’t be afraid to visit at different times of the day.
Do this as part of your research. For example, visit us when a meal is being served to see how the food looks and to hear feedback from residents about their likes and dislikes. Also, check to see if residents are offered help with eating if they seem to need it.
5. After reducing the list of houses to 2 or 3, visit them again
This time, take your elder with you if possible and get their opinion. All things being equal, there certainly won’t be any harm in letting them decide where they want to live.
