subject: 13 Tips for Assessing Senior Nursing Homes [print this page] 13 Tips for Assessing Senior Nursing Homes
If you are looking to place your elderly loved one in a nursing home for long term care, you need to make sure that you know what to look for and what questions to ask in order to make an informed decision. Most people automatically look at the outside appearance of the facility, but make sure to not only judge a nursing home by its appearance. While cleanliness and appearance is important, there are other things to consider and base your choice on.
You only want the best care for your loved one, and while a lot of nursing homes have wonderful, kind staff members, just as many do not. Some nursing homes are short staffed and provide poor care to their residents. Unfortunately, some nursing home facilities in Iowa and throughout the U.S. have been known to be involved in nursing home abuse claims including emotional abuse, malnutrition, dehydration, neglect, sexual assault, overuse or improper use of restraints, and more.
We've complied the 13 most compressive ways to assess and examine nursing homes:
Write out a list of important questions to ask
Schedule a tour of the facility
Meet the administrator
Meet the director of nursing
Note your first impression of the facility
Talk to the reception staff to see how you are treated
Take note of your surroundings (treatment of the residents, odor, sounds etc.)
Look to see if the facility is clean
Note if the facility is calm or chaotic
Look to see if the residents look cared for
Get an information packet on the facility
Talk to family members you see there to get their opinions about the facility
Ask to speak with a current resident of the facility
It is really important to speak with residents and family members, as they will be the best insight into determining the quality of care that residents of the facility actually receive. Through talking with them, you should be able to tell if they are truly satisfied with the care they are receiving, the activities planned, as well as the quality of food.
Be sure to take note of just how many members of staff are on duty at any given time. If you have to, visit the nursing home several times on different days and at different times to get a true sense of the number of staff working, not just during a scheduled visit. Understaffed nursing homes put their residents at a greater risk of neglect, which is another equally serious form of abuse.
If you realize that your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse in Iowa, whether intentionally or through neglect, you need to contact a knowledgeable attorney who is skilled in handling these types of claims who thoroughly explain the legal rights of your loved one and your legal options in the matter of the abuse.
