3 Ways to Choose the Best Nursing Home
Long-term and elderly patient care is a fact of life for many individuals, so it only makes sense that we want our loved ones to be cared for well. Because of this, choosing the best nursing home for our loved ones is of the utmost importance.
Use the three tips below to choose the best nursing home.
- Ask for Referrals
The first step is the easiest. You can ask for referrals from other family members and friends who have loved ones in nursing homes, as well as from the doctor and other medical staff who currently treat your loved one.
- Tour the Nursing Home
Before choosing a nursing home for your loved one, be sure to tour the facility – even the nursing homes with the best referrals and reviews.
As you tour the facility, look for and ask about:
- Smells: It’s common for nursing homes to have certain, somewhat unpleasant smells, but no nursing home should be overpowered with these smells. If one is, it’s likely the facility isn’t well maintained.
- Sounds: Unfortunately, sounds such as moaning and crying are common in nursing homes. Many patients are in pain, scared, or confused. However, these sounds shouldn’t be too common or loud, as it’s the responsibility of the nursing home staff to tend to the patients and make them as comfortable and feel as safe as possible.
- Food: Ask to see the menu for the day, and if possible, sample some of the food.
- Staff: Does the staff act warm and friendly not only to you, but to the residents? Or, do they seem understaffed, stressed, and frustrated?
- Recreation: What kinds of activities are offered to the patients? You want a nursing home that provides plenty of recreation to fulfill the residents’ daily lives.
- Patient Care: Does the nursing home have nurses and doctors on staff? What happens if there’s an emergency? When and how does the nursing home contact you?
If the nursing home staff is reluctant to provide you with a tour, move on to another facility. No nursing home should have anything to hide.
- Look for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Patient mistreatment is a sad reality, and is more common than one may realize. Some of the most common types of patient mistreatment in nursing homes include nursing home abuse and neglect.
Nursing home abuse includes:
- Physical Abuse.
- Verbal Abuse.
- Emotional Abuse.
- Financial Abuse.
- Sexual Abuse.
Nursing home neglect includes negligence surrounding:
- Basic Needs.
- Medical Attention.
- Malnutrition.
- Emotional Neglect.
- Social Neglect.
- Wound Care.
- Falls and Fractures.
- Bed Sores.
- Bedrail Injuries.
While you won’t be able to scope out every type of nursing home abuse and neglect when you tour the facility, you will be able to spot some of them. Ask yourself and your family questions like:
- How does the facility look?
- Does it seem clean?
- Are there smells out of the ordinary for nursing homes?
- Does the staff seem overworked and agitated?
- Do the residents have ample kinds of activities?
- Overall, do the residents seem to happy and to have good relationships with the staff?
After your loved one has moved into a nursing home and in the unfortunate even you suspect nursing home abuse, it’s time to contact the nursing home abuse attorneys at Glotzer & Kobren.
Victims of Nursing Home Abuse
If you or a loved one is injured in an accident, visit www.glotzerlaw.com or contact Glotzer & Kobren, P.A. at 561-361-8677 to discuss your rights. Serving Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach & throughout Florida.
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