Nursing home websites often paint a rosy picture of life within the facility. From socialization and activities to clean and modern rooms, you feel confident you’re making the right decision until you get there. Once you see the facility in person, it may tell a different story.
Certain sights and smells may immediately indicate something is off, but many times, the issues run much deeper than that. Equip yourself with the knowledge needed to evaluate a nursing home. That way, you’ll make an informed decision when choosing care for your loved ones.
Research the Facility
Online tools make it easy to research nursing homes, so you want to ensure you’re doing your due diligence. Start with the Medicare Nursing Home Compare Tool. This comprehensive resource allows you to search for nursing homes by name or location and review ratings, inspection reports, penalties, and more. It also shares if there have been documented cases of abuse and neglect within the facility.
State inspection reports are also public knowledge, so check your local Department of Health to obtain copies of their report to view deficiencies, violations, and fines. Lastly, you can turn to business reviews. Former patients, family members, and staff often leave these on a nursing home’s business page. If the public reviews differ from what you find within the official federal and state reports, take them with a grain of salt. Some nursing homes can attempt to inflate public ratings to distract prospective residents.
Ask Questions
While nursing homes may do their best to answer common questions on their websites, those answers have been carefully vetted. You want to get the nursing home staff’s first-hand experience within the facility. Ask questions via email, phone, or in person. The following questions can help you understand its facility management and how the specific care may impact your loved one.
- Do they take Medicare? If so, what are the limitations of the coverage?
- What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
- How many vacancies do you have?
- What is the average care time per resident?
- What education, training, and certifications do your staff members have?
- Do you have access to an on-care doctor?
- What is the average response time for resident calls?
- How is medication handled?
- Have you faced any citations or penalties in the last three years, and how have you addressed them?
- What are the food preparation processes?
- Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
- What specialized services are available?
- Can I bring personal items?
- Are there limitations to how I can decorate a room?
If your loved one has special needs, ask what services and support they have available to accommodate them. The more questions you ask, the better, and be targeted. If you’re visiting Duncanville Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Texas, you may already know that there have been citations for abuse.
Its parent company, Nexion Health, is responsible for violating many nursing home regulations, and their negligence was found to have contributed to a resident’s death within the Duncanville facility. Although the nursing home may not be forthcoming with that history, you can uncover it by asking questions and researching.
Visit the Facility
The care your loved one will receive varies by facility. Even if the nursing home is part of a larger chain, the care culture will depend on that location’s management and staff.
Things to look out for when you are visiting a nursing home are:
- Cleanliness: Is the facility clean and well-maintained? Is it free from trash and debris? Are the furniture and bed linens clean? Does it have a foul odor or smell of human excrement?
- Safety: Are there any apparent hazards visible? Is it free from tripping hazards? Does it have proper lighting, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, sprinkler system, etc.? Are appropriate accessibility measures in place, including handrails and non-slip floors?
- Staff: Is the staff friendly? Is there coverage at the reception desk, or do the staff members appear to be rushing? How are the staff interacting with residents?
- Condition: What is the overall condition of the facility? Is it out of date? Does it have modern amenities like televisions, radios, computers, etc.?
You should make several visits to the facility to help you understand what it is really like there. Schedule an official tour, but also visit unannounced when they don’t have time to prepare. Visit at various times of the day and on different days. These visits will help you see how your loved one will be treated at all times.
Wrapping Up
The care received at nursing homes can contribute to a person’s quality of life, so you want to choose a facility that makes them feel comfortable. By doing your research, touring in person, and asking questions, you can determine the best fit for your loved one.
