Choice Of Nursing Home Requires Research
Almost half of all Americans over the age of 65 will spend time in a nursing home at some point in their lives. When one of your family members is in need of this type of care it is necessary to do plenty of research to find the best and safest facility within your budget. Considering the high number of nursing homes with serious care problems special attention is needed when choosing the nursing home that best fits the needs of the loved one in question and your family as a whole.
Selecting a nursing home is a personal decision and the medical needs of those going into a nursing home vary greatly. Some facilities serve special needs such as caring for Alzheimer’s patients and those with other physical and mental health challenges. Your family member may require a facility with specialized equipment on site, such as dialysis machines. Determining the needs of the individual is the first step before researching individual facilities.
Additional factors need to be considered in choosing a nursing facility, such as the geographic location and its proximity to family and friends. One way to get started on this endeavor would be to make a list of the most important characteristics that you are looking for in a nursing home. Then do some research and make a list of facilities that have these characteristics. This process will provide you with a starting point for more in-depth probing which will be the next step in the process.
Once you have compiled a list of facilities that meet your needs a visit to the nursing home is the logical next step. Some people choose to make an unannounced visit on the heels of an announced visit. Interviewing the staff is helpful in addition to common observations such as cleanliness, general mood of the residents, privacy, and available activities. It should be noted that there are several useful tools available at www.medicare.gov that can help you choose the best nursing home for your loved one.
