subject: Finding The Right Nursing Home [print this page] Finding the right nursing home for a parent or loved one who requires 24-hour supervision and care can be a difficult task, but there are several resources that can make it easier. For those with access to the internet, there are several sites that can be of assistance.
http://memberofthefamily.net/usregistry.htm
http://health.state.tn.us/HCF/index.htm
http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare
Armed with the information from one or more of these websites, you should visit any nursing home you are considering. Take care to look at more than just the nice walls, floors and gardens of a facility. The lobby may be pretty, along with the other common
areas, but the most important aspect is the level of care that is provided.
Ask to see a typical room. Observe the staff and residents as you walk around the facility. Are residents lined up in wheelchairs in the hall? Are residents cleanly and neatly dressed or are they in hospital gowns? Are linen carts covered? Is there dirty laundry on
the floor? Are trays sitting uncovered and untouched? Are there activities going on? Do you see staff in the hallways? Nurses out and about? If there is an odor when you first walk down a hall, is it still there 15 minutes later? Are the floors clean?
Most importantly, review all forms you are presented with very carefully. Nursing homes often slip arbitration clauses into admission paperwork. By signing this arbitration agreement, you are waiving your right to pursue any malpractice or abuse claims against the nursing home, should something happen to your loved one. DO NOT SIGN! There is absolutely NO reason or advantage for the family to sign this agreement. Nursing home
representatives may apply pressure to sign, which should serve as a red flag on the quality of the facility and staff. If for some reason you have already signed an arbitration agreement, an attorney can help you determine whether it can be enforced.
As a former Director of Nursing for a nursing home, I advise you to carefully investigate the nursing home you choose and the forms you are asked to sign. In the unfortunate event that your loved one is injured in a nursing home because of abuse or neglect, call me. I can help evaluate your potential claim.
The Tennessee Personal Injury law firm now known as Hill Boren P.C. was founded in August of 1970 by T. Robert Hill. The firm has grown to several lawyers, and over 20 employees serving approximately 1,000 clients annually, generating millions of dollars in personal injury, worker's compensation and medical malpractice awards and judgments.
