I have no idea where to start. I used a referral service for the assisted living home that my sister has been in but they don’t refer to nursing homes and I’ve heard nothing but horrible things about them. If you’ve chosen a nursing home for a loved one, how did you go about doing this?
Knowing nothing about it, I chose the one nearest my home that had the best parking, just barely before the ambulance taking her AWAY from the hospital pulled away. The distance paid off big time.
She had rehab there, and following a long very difficult 9 months being cared for in my home, returned there, and it was a sweet and wonderfully cared for life for 5 1/2 years before she died there.
As it happened, their public state and National ratings were top notch, but every other thing about it was wonderful too, a faithful and devoted care staff, some of the best therapy I, as a therapist myself, had ever observed, and an going sense that the needs of their residents came first.
Choosing? Pleasant cozy atmosphere, smells good, safety first always, aromas of something yummy at lunch, smiling residents, smiling staff, access to TV, activities, entertainment, welcome feeling as soon as you enter.
Actually, after you’ve past the care ratings, you can trust the decision making to where you’d like to be if you were frail or confused or ill.
I’ve already told the care staff at my mom’s SNF that if I were ever to need the type of care they offer, I’d want to be living right there with them, and they AND MY FAMILY know I MEAN IT.
Not all facilities are created equal. This applies to IL/AL/MC as well as NHs. WE have to be proactive and check them ourselves.
Although Medicare does have a "rating" system, it is only for Medicare approved facilities and who knows how good those ratings are? Does anyone think a Medicare employee sets foot in these places? Do they rely on input from residents or residents' families, or are there ratings from staff?
Check this:
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/FSQRS
In there is a caution:
"Caution:
No rating system can address all of the important considerations that go into a decision about which nursing home may be best for a particular person."
YOU need to start somewhere, so these reviews and brochures can be used, but you, the family member, needs to get boots on the ground and check the places for yourself (this applies to ANY facility, not just NHs.)