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Finding the Right Nursing Home for You or
Your Loved One
Are you suddenly
faced with choosing residential care for yourself or a loved one?
Residential care encompasses
independent living (designed for individuals who want to maintain
their independence in the security of a senior community setting),
assisted living (24- hour-a-day assistance with personal care services
and medication administration) and nursing care (24 hour-a-day
supervised nursing care providing medical and health services
individualized based on age, illness, disease, injury, convalescence,
or physical or mental infirmity).
The effort that you put into gathering
information, making contacts and visiting facilities will provide you
with the knowledge to make an informed selection.
First, contact each facility in the
community that you are considering (found in the Yellow Pages). Ask
that a resident handbook or admission packet be sent to you. This
should provide information on the application process, level of care
available at that facility, specialized or rehabilitative services,
residents’ rights and accepted methods of payment.
Other resources for locating
residential care facilities are as follows: physicians’ offices,
hospital discharge planners or social workers, facility admission
coordinators, elderlaw attorneys, Area Agency on Aging, Church
organizations, and employees or volunteers that you may know who work
in the facilities that you are considering.
Before your visit check the internet to
obtain additional information about the quality of the facility,
inspection reports or surveys and nursing staff/patient ratios. These
can be found at www.medicare.gov.
Click on “nursing home compare”, then “begin nursing home search”. Use
a zip code focus on the community that interests you. This information
will be helpful in formulating questions to assist in the final
decision making process. If the facility you are interested in has a
percentage rate that is above the average for all nursing homes in the
State of Pennsylvania in a particular area, remember when you visit to
question why and what corrective measures are in place.
Once you have reviewed all the
information that is available, you should then arrange scheduled tours
of each facility. Important issues to be aware of on your first visit
to a facility are:
a) How residents and staff are dressed
and groomed;
b) Is the environment clean, well lighted and free of odors;
c) Does the staff interact with the residents and the other visitors
in a friendly and courteous manner;
d) View the activity board for availability of activities for
residents; and
e) Ask to see the Department of Health inspection report that should
be posted.
Then you will be ready to re-visit your
top choices. When you re-visit the facility try to do it at a time
when you think there will be few visitors so that you can see the
residents in their natural setting as opposed to viewing a scripted
and controlled presentation. Talk with any other visitors to learn how
they feel about overall care that is provided. If the facility has a
family counsel and volunteer help, those things are indicators of a
quality facility. It may be helpful to attend a counsel meeting to
talk with several family members at one time.
As you talk with the administration and
staff, inquire about policies and the answers to specific questions
that will have a direct bearing on the level of care that is provided.
Address all financial matters such as daily rate, charges for extra
care, special diets, ancillary supplies, and accepted medical
coverages or private pay.
Here are some questions that you may
want to consider asking:
What things can be brought from home to make the room feel like home?
What storage is available for personal belongings?
What is the policy on answering call lights? Who is responsible to
answer? What if that person is unavailable for some reason?
What is the policy regarding incompatibility of a room mate? Smoking?
Use of physical/chemical restraints and alternatives to these?
If your loved one or the person in the next bed becomes unmanageable
how is it handled? What are the options? Change of room mate?
If the family wants to visit privately with their loved one, is a
suitable room provided?
What activities are available to residents? How are they encouraged to
participate? What if they have or develop dementia?
What is transportation and staff assistance is made available to
enable participation in community activities; medical visits outside
the facility, etc.
What is the policy regarding the number of residents that each care
giver is required to assist? How is privacy protected when dressing
and bathing?
Care plan meetings are important! Will they be arranged to accommodate
your schedule? Will those that are directly involved in the day-to-day
care and the therapies provided be involved in the meetings?
What is the policy pertaining to missing clothing and other
possessions?
What kinds of therapies are provided? How are they paid?
How are any complaints presented/resolved?
Are there family council and resident's council meetings? How are they
scheduled?
Making the right selection is
difficult. There is no substitute for diligent and continuous inquiry
and observation.
 Ralph L. Montgomery, Jr.
- Member American Academy of ElderLaw
Attorneys.
DALE WOODARD LAW FIRM
1030 Liberty St.
Franklin, PA 16323
Phone 814-432-2181
Fax 814-437-3212
www.dalewoodard.com
montgomerylaw@csonline.net
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