Choosing a nursing home for your loved one can be a daunting process. You want the best care possible for the ones you love, and there are plenty of facilities that will meet this standard. However, there are also a number of facilities that should be avoided and there are certain red flags that you should be on the lookout for while making this decision. MSN Money lists the following five warning signs:
1) A history of violations – This information is public and can be easily accessed on the internet. Do your research before making a decision! The Nursing Home Compare tool at Medicare.gov, U.S. News’s ‘Best Nursing Homes 2014,’ ProPublica, SeniorAdvisor.com, and A Place for Mom are all recommended by MSN as viable research tools.
http://medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
http://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes
http://projects.propublica.org/nursing-homes/
https://www.senioradvisor.com/
http://www.aplaceformom.com/assisted-living-state-licensing
2) A number of severe violations – MSN provides an example to put this in to perspective stating, “”A community could have one violation for someone wandering off campus, which is a highly dangerous scenario, compared with another community that has 10 violations for soap dispensers not being the correct distance from the floor,” Pelella says. “Or they could be cited for cobwebs in the basement.” Severe violations should be taken in to greater consideration than those minor infractions. It is also important to consider what measures were taken to rectify the problems that occurred in the past.
3) High staff turnover – Constantly losing staff members and in turn, hiring new employees to take their place may be a poor reflection on the facility itself.
4) The residents lack independence – You can judge the level of independence by looking for personal touches in the residents rooms, listening to how the staff communicates with residents (are they talking down to them?), and deciding whether the facilities environment and your loved ones abilities are a good fit.
5) You feel uneasy in your gut – Trust your instincts!
To read more about these red flags please visit: http://money.msn.com/insurance/5-traits-of-the-worst-nursing-homes
