How to Choose a Quality Nursing Home

When an aging parent or loved one no longer can safely remain at home without assistance, the need for decisions about long-term care becomes apparent. With so many options for long-term care, it can be extremely difficult to determine the best solution for your needs. If your parent is in need of skilled nursing care on a daily basis, then a nursing home is probably the appropriate facility for him or her.  Entering a nursing home involves relying on strangers to take care of your parent’s daily needs, so your next step is to ensure that you are choosing a quality nursing home that provides all of the services and amenities that your parent needs.

There are a variety of different factors you can look at in order to measure quality of care and determine the presence of improper resident care. By observing the nursing home staff, residents, and facility, you can get a good idea of whether the facility is of sufficient quality. For instance, consider the following factors:

• Is the food of an acceptable quality for your parent?
• Do you constantly hear residents moaning in pain or yelling for help, but it seems that there are never enough staff members to address the residents’ needs?
• How do the nursing home staff members treat the residents – with respect or with disdain?
• Does the facility smell as if it has been thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis?
• Do nursing home staff regularly work double shifts or overtime to the extent that too much work and stress negatively impacts their ability to care for residents?
• Are residents in different common areas throughout the facility and engaged in different activities?
• How do staff members interact with one another – rudely or professionally?
• Are staff members able to meet the residents’ personal needs, such as changing adult diapers on a regular basis?

As your parents or other loved ones age, you may become increasingly aware of their need for long-term care, either now or in the near future. Depending on the nature of your loved one’s needs, there are likely to be measures that you can take prospectively in order to protect and preserve your loved one’s financial situation, while still providing him or her with the long-term care services that he or she needs. Since the need to choose a nursing home or other long-term care facility can occur quickly and unexpectedly, you need an attorney who can provide you the help necessary to make the best possible decision. At Legacy Law Center, our Ann Arbor elder law attorneys can help you through any situations that may arise as you care for your aging loved ones.