How to find the right nursing home for your loved one

Finding the right long term care facility for your loved one is probably one of the most important decisions that you will have to make for everyone involved. This article id directed to the people where nursing home placement has been recommended by their physician. The steps will help to make an agreeably overwhelming task much less stressful. Talking openly with your loved one and family is all important. Sometimes the deterioration has progressed to the point where the loved one no longer is able to express their wants and needs.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Contact your local Department of Aging, or Area Agency on Aging.
2. Ask to have a placement assessment done. This will be very helpful with paperwork and finding out if there are any programs that could help out with cost. These evaluations are generally done in the home.
3. Gather at least 6 months of income verification such as pay stubs and bank information as well as any evidence of ownership, cars, homes and such.
4. Ask the assessor for a copy of the nursing home directory. This is a list of facilities, number of beds and cost.
5. Visit the facilities that appeal to you. Focus on the interaction of the staff and residents. Ask about the worker to resident ratio and check for how clean the facility is.
6. Call your local Ombudsmen and ask if the facility has been cited for deficiencies. The Ombudsman program acts as a liaison between the facility and the families. They are usually located at the Dept. of Aging offices.
   . The Dept. of Health also has very valuable information of the facilities performance. Both of these departments conduct inspections on such facilities.
7. Once you have decided on a facility, make an unannounced visit to be sure. Depending on the cognitive level of your loved one, this is a good time to take them.
8. Arrange to meet with admissions and request the administrator be available to meet as well.
9. Your presence is the greates comfort at first. Move your loved one is bringing a few very important pieces of home. Photo albums should be held back until the adjustment phase has subsided.

Tips & Warnings

• You can find the number for your local Dept. of Aging via phone book or internet.
• Whitepages.com can be useful in locating LTC facilities in your area.
• Try to place your loved on within a reasonable distance to ensure frequent visiting.
• Keep the lines of communication open at all times.
• The Dept. of Health has a nursing home division that you can ask about the facility.
• Ask the administrator if regular drug testing and Act 33/34 clearances are mandatory for the staff. (PA law states that ALL LTC employees have a background check done before being hired. This varies state to state).
• Your instincts are your most powerful tool. Don’t ignore them.
• Ask if the facility has home visits available. After the adjustment phase, these weekend family moments are very important for your loved one to know they are still a vital and well loved part of the family.
• Ask if the facility offers haircare, nail care and such services. This is very inportant for your loved one to keep themselves well groomed for esteem reasons.
• You do not want to place your loved one in an unlicensed facility. There is no actual monitoring beyond the family in these facilities.
• Security is very important. A facility without working alarm door is not a good choice.
• Any facility that is easy to enter and wander through the residents rooms is not a good choice.
• Depending on the cognitive level of your loved one, Long term care placement has approximately a two month adjustment phase.