4.5 percent of seniors in the United States live in nursing homes. Moving a loved one into a nursing home is a decision that you can’t take lightly. How do you find a nursing home anyway?
We’re here to help you figure out how to choose a nursing home that will be safe and comfortable for your loved one. Read on to learn more.
Pick the Right Location
Location is everything when it comes to picking a nursing home for your loved one.
When it comes to active retirement communities (or independent living communities), it’s often best to let your loved one choose a place that they’d like to live. Because they’re still active and social, they can choose a vacation area or somewhere with plenty of local activities.
Nursing homes, however, are more medical. Your loved one likely won’t be as active, and instead, they may be more interested in having family members nearby.
Make sure that you choose somewhere that’s accessible for either you or someone else in your family so you’re able to visit as often as possible.
Ask People You Trust
You might be tempted to base your opinions of local nursing homes off of online reviews, but remember that reviews can be manipulated (either positively or negatively). Instead, we recommend asking people that you know and trust about what nursing homes they’d recommend in the area.
You can talk to friends, other family members, and coworkers first if they have senior loved ones. If no one that you know has any experience with local nursing homes, you can also ask your loved one’s doctor for their advice.
Evaluate Care Services
Not all nursing homes are going to offer the same care services for residents. Make sure that you’re choosing a nursing home that will be able to provide the specific type of care that your loved one will need.
If your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s, for example, you’re going to want to find a nursing home that offers memory care services.
While you’re looking at care services, it’s also a good idea to look at amenities. Nursing homes usually don’t have all of the same bells and whistles as retirement communities, but they should still have amenities available for their residents.
Look for things like activities, health and fitness options, and even transportation to local shops and events.
Tour the Nursing Home
You should never choose a nursing home before you take a tour of it. During your tour, you’ll be able to see more than just what the nursing home puts on its website.
If possible, try to go on an unplanned or even unattended tour. If the nursing home has too much time to prepare for your tour, the staff members may be able to hide things that would make it look less desirable.
While you’re touring, ask if you can visit a few rooms. You want to know what your loved one’s home is going to look like. Is it cozy and comfortable, or does it look cold and sterile?
If possible, talk to a few residents. Do they seem happy and alert?
You should also take this time to talk to staff members. Make sure that they make you feel comfortable. Come up with a list of questions before your visit and see how willing they are to answer.
Look for Red Flags
Unfortunately, many nursing homes aren’t safe places for seniors. Nursing home abuse runs rampant, and the last thing that you want to have to do is hire a nursing abuse attorney after your loved one experiences something terrible.
You’re going to want to look for nursing home warning signs while you’re on your tour. Here are a few of them.
No Late-Morning Activities
When you visit the nursing home, try to do so in the late morning (around 10 or 11). You want to see if residents are up and active during this time. While it’s normal for seniors to want to curl up in bed and sleep in from time to time, there should definitely be people out and about and participating in activities.
So why is this important? There are a few reasons.
First, if residents are all still drowsy or in bed during this time, it’s a sign of poor care. It’s possible that they’ve been given sedatives by staff members.
It’s also a sign that there just aren’t enough activities to enrich the seniors’ lives. You want your senior loved one to be somewhere pleasant and engaging.
It could also indicate that the nursing home doesn’t have enough staff members.
Inattentive or Disrespectful Staff
Speaking of staff, pay attention to how the staff members treat you, each other, and their residents while you’re visiting.
Are there residents trying to get staff members’ attention to no avail? Are staff members being rude or avoidant with you? Are they rushing around without paying attention to the seniors?
Odd Smells
The occasional odd smell is normal anywhere, and nursing homes are no exception. With this in mind, if the smell is overwhelming, it’s a sign of poor care (or an understaffed nursing home).
Nursing home caregivers are responsible for cleaning the seniors in their care. This includes bathing and helping with the restroom (and potentially even changing adult diapers).
Bad smells indicate that this isn’t happening.
So How Do You Find a Nursing Home? Use This Guide
If you’ve been wondering “how do you find a nursing home?”, use this guide while you’re trying to make your decision. Remember, you want your loved one to stay safe, happy, and close enough for visits.
Pay attention to any potential red flags and never commit to a nursing home without visiting first.
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