Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Expect to pay between $3,500 and $8,000 per month for a stand-alone skilled nursing facility.
Step2
Know that when seniors enter a continuing care retirement community at the skilled nursing or assisted living level, they will be required to pay a monthly maintenance fee ranging from $1,500 to $3,500 per month.
Step3
Note that seniors who enter a continuing care retirement community at an independent level may later make a transition to the skilled nursing or assisted living units as their needs change. The monthly maintenance fee covers this and can be looked at as a form of long-term care insurance.
Step4
Talk to your senior family member's physician or social worker for referrals when choosing a skilled nursing facility.
Step5
Get in touch with a geriatric care manager for information about skilled nursing facilities in a senior family member's community. Geriatric care managers are often nurses, social workers and psychologists by training, with an expertise in geriatrics. They charge privately for their services.
Step6
Check out online directories of senior care facilities such as Senior Care Review, Care Guide(415-474-1278) and Senior Alternatives (800-350-0770) for skilled nursing facility listings.
Step7
Look through your local yellow pages for a list of skilled nursing facilities.
Step8
Take the marketing tour of prospective skilled nursing facilities. Talk to staff and residents alike, asking about staffing levels, staff credentials and qualifications, meals, employee drug screening and employee background checks.
Comments
crashnburn5 said
on 9/13/2008 http://www.tinkn.com for ratings and reviews of nursing homes and elder care facilities.
Lindaperry said
on 6/21/2008 To date, we have located one rehabilitation and care center in Staten Island that has horrible conditions.
This place stays in business only because the Administration and other Supervisors and Directors cover up what really happens inside the nursing home.
You can "view" a place that might look acceptable, but know that what you are viewing is ONLY what the place allows you to view when the public is present.
Once visitors leave, the care and treatment of seniors and disabled changes, drastically. Anyone disputing this fact, is more than likely an employee, Administrator, Director or Director of Social work at said offending facilities.
These are reasons why seniors do not want to go to or to live in nursing homes and in rehabilitation and care centers.
sjbst37 said
on 3/25/2008 For a checklist on the 'how to' process on what to prepare when being admitted to a nursing home visit: http://nursing-homes.aplaceformom.com/articles/nursing-home-checklist
Anonymous said
on 3/7/2006 Many states offer Nursing Home alternatives called Adult Family Home or Adult Care Homes. They vary some from state to state. Most are small, comfortable facilities run in homes by Nurses or CNAs. They are state licensed and monitored as a Nursing Home. The advantages are that they provide a much more intimate and family style setting as opposed to institutional settings in Nursing Homes. They actually cost about 1/3 less and usually provide a higher level of care because of the 1:1 ratio. Most homes allow a maximum of six residents. Use the same care in finding a quality Adult Family Home as you would a Nursing Home.