Find a Good Retirement Community, Nursing Home, or Foster Care Facility for Your Loved One

Having to put a loved one in a nursing home can be a very trying experience. It can bring a lot of great sorrow to a person, even if there is a strong relationship that has been forged to the person throughout your life. It may be your father or mother, grandmother, aunt, or maybe even a beloved cousin or niece. In any event, finding the right place for them should not be a chore nor a funeral dirge, and when you do find the place, always be aware that this is not saying goodbye, but rather 'I'll see you soon'.

So, here are some helpful hints that will help you in your pursuit to your family member's (*and possibly your own) happiness:

1) If you want to keep them locally, do so. Most cities have a wide selection of facilites to choose from, and many of them are local or at least within driving distance. Look in your local phone directory under 'Assisted Care', 'Nursing Home' or 'Foster Care Facilities' to see what your area has to offer.

2) In every case, most facilities schedule a meeting with someone from the Management department, such as the Staffing Coordinator, Social Services Director, or maybe even the facility's Administrator. These people are about one thing when you go to a meeting like this: they are there to sell you their product, and that is the services of their facility. Many will offer a variety of services, from exclusive cuisine, golf courses, and such in order to gain their sales. So, before you sign on the dotted line, make sure that you feel that this facility is adequate to meet your family member's needs. Look past the glitz and glamour, and get down to the facts.

3) Get to know the staff. If you have a chance, talk with the people that work for the building or ask some of them how they feel about how the facility runs. A lot of times, if they are open enough, they will give you an honest discertation about their feelings for the company they work for and how well the staff works towards the care of those that live there. But, there is always the rough chance that they may be firm believers in the company and would never say anything to discredit it, as it would endanger their job security. If you are fortunate enough to find someone that will talk honestly, then allow yourslef to ask pointed questions and take what they say into your memory. It may be a major help in your decision process.

4) Watch the staff as they work around their residents. Ask yourself personal questions such as how they treat the residents. Do they treat them like a bed number or do they treat them like people? Do they use childish language or endearments? Do the staff respect the resident's rights and privacy under the Federal HIPAA laws? Do they take notice immediately when a resident is truly in need of assistance? These are questions that, once answered, can prove to be beneficial.

4) Talk with the Food Services Manager and the Head Nurse to find out everything you can about their policies concerning special diets, pill times, and so on, to see if they have the staff to cover these needs and if these needs are truly being met. If they do not, then it is not the facility for you.

5) Look at the surroundings. Does the enviornment seem homey or does it feel more like a mausoleum? Talk with the Activities Director about activities that they will be able to enjoy that will make them feel like they are at home. Look at the wallpaper and the carpets. Are they clean? Is there odors nearby? Look at the layout of the facility. Does it have the feel of a hospital or a country cottage? These are questions that are going to be crucial in the comfort of your loved ones and ones that will need some great addressing.

6) Check the costs. The facility I once worked for had a price tag of thousands of dollars a month just to live there, and money is always a consequential subject among many families who are looking into taking this venture into the nursing home world. Compare services, prices, and take into account all that you have learned about the building, its staff, and anything else that will determine whether what is offered is worth the price.

Sending someone to a nursing home is no picnic, and I hope that these tools will prove useful in the long run. One thing that I feel that must be remembered is that when a thing like this is decided, it should not be done out of neccessity, but rather out of love, as we all want our families to be healthy and happy, even in their golden years. I wish you the best of luck.