If the time has come for your loved one to enter a nursing home, you want to feel confident in selecting a top-notch facility for your mom or dad.
You need one that observes best practices, but nursing homes must maintain full occupancy using sometimes questionable means. How do you find one that provides great care?
Need for total occupancy
To maintain an acceptable income stream, some nursing homes strive to keep their beds filled, ideally at 100% occupancy. Like assisted living facilities that operate the same way, they might keep a resident longer than necessary. This can lead to both physical and mental issues for residents as well as negligence and end-of-life concerns for families.
About best practices
You can begin your search for a good nursing home by looking into the adherence to best practices:
- The nursing home is licensed and complies with all regulatory requirements.
- The facility maintains a four- or five-star rating from Medicare.
- The facility provides high-quality, patient-centered care, and residents have choices about bathing, dressing, eating and activities.
- There are low staff and caregiver turnover rates.
- The facility supports a family council with a regular meeting schedule.
Questions to ask
Request recommendations from friends, clergy, medical and legal personnel. You can go online to check a facility’s licensure and deficiency status. When you find a nursing home that interests you, call and make an appointment to visit. When you go, remember that your guide is really a salesperson who may put a shine on the facts. Ask to see the kitchen, the public areas and the residents’ rooms on all floors. Talk to the residents themselves to determine how they are faring. This kind of inspection will help you choose the best facility for your loved one.