How to Find a Good Nursing Home

We all like to make our own choices. What restaurant to go to for Sunday brunch, which doctor or dentist, even which hospital we would prefer to be admitted to. So, why not take charge of one of the most heart wrenching and draining decisions our families sometimes must make, and choose a nursing home in case it is ever needed?

Nursing home care is often used following hospitalization to ensure that seniors can get some extra time needed to get back on track after a sickness or injury. Often time's families are told to find a place for a loved one within a very short time before discharge. It can be an overwhelming choice to make in less than 24 hours, so it is prudent to plan ahead and have an idea of "good nursing homes" in your area.

Get out your local yellow pages and look up "nursing homes" and make a list of potential places you would like to visit. Most experts agree that you should try to compare at least 4-5 places in order to make an educated decision about what constitutes a good place. Call each home and ask if you can tour the facility. Pay attention to how staff treats you during that first call. Do they sound hurried and overly busy? Are they warm and friendly? It is a good idea to take notes, even this early in your research.

Once you have some appointments set up, you'll want to bring a list of questions with you. Ask what the average patient-staff ratio is and if they accept Medicaid. Find out if they do background checks on all staff and what their state inspection report looks like. Ask to tour as much of the facility as possible and pay close attention to what people are doing inside the home. Are the residents moving around? Are they warehoused into one room? Are they all in bed? Pay attention to the cleanliness of the place. Does it look like spills get cleaned up quickly? Are there lingering odors? As you are touring, watch for any visitors and if you can identify anyone who is there visiting a loved one, stop and ask them if they are happy with the care their loved one is getting. Even more importantly than asking questions is paying attention to little details you see as you tour the facility. What do your instincts tell you? Trust your instincts.

Once you have toured four or five places, you are probably in a position to make a decision and your next step is to tell several people within your family what your research has taught you. They will be grateful that you made the decision ahead of time and if anything happens and you need nursing care following an accident or surgery, you will feel better knowing that you took charge of this decision on your own.