How to Find the Right Nursing Home

When it's getting harder to live alone and looks like you might need 24 hour care beginning looking for the right nursing home to meet your needs.  Many people have a mistaken impression of these services, so it is important that you gain as much knowledge about them as possible. Things to consider are -

Choose somewhere close to family or friends so that you can receive visitors often and an advocate nearby.  Go visit on the weekend or in the evening. This is the truest time to see how they take care of residents. 

o       Is the staff friendly and attentive - the staff is what makes it more like home, not a pretty place

o       Are there alarms going off, unanswered for extended periods of time

o       Is the building, grounds and rooms clean - this is often an indication of how the management expects staff to care for you, as well as there are regulations governing this

o       Do people look happy and well cared for - dressed, clean

o       Ask people, families or your friends what they think about the facility

o       Check the Indiana Department of Health Report Card & Medicare Compare once you've narrowed it down.  Remember no facility is perfect but they should strive to be.

o       Visit their therapy department and ask if they provide restorative therapy to help keep you independent

o       If you're just going to need skilled nursing care short term for rehab, many of the facilities now offer private suites with cable television and phones included. Don't choose a facility on this alone, your care is the most important thing.  

o       Does the food smell and look appetizing?  Do they season food unless someone has a dietary restriction?  What to they spend on food per person per day?

o       Do the residents have a water pitcher and glass in their room?

o       Do they allow smoking?  This could put you family member in jeopardy as well as take away from their care while smokers are being supervised.

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