subject: How To Choose The Best Nursing Home [print this page] A nursing home provides comprehensive, long-range personal and medical care as well as social services to disabled and chronically ill individuals. The care may be provided by registered nurses on a 24-hour basis. Alternatively, intermediate care may be provided by licensed practical nurses or registered nurses on a less than 24-hour basis.
The support that is provided by the nursing home staff includes routine nursing care, diet supervision, assistance with grooming and bathing, the administration and supervision of medication, physical, occupational and speech therapies, and help with ambulation.
Nursing home costs vary widely across the United States. The general range is between $75 and $400 dollars per day. The cost will usually include routine nursing care, room and board, general toiletries (shampoo, soap, tissue, etc.), and linens. There may also be additional charges for personal laundry, medications, incontinent supplies, and more.
Making the decision to move a loved one into a nursing home can be extremely difficult for both the person who will be making the move and their family. Unfortunately, this decision often needs to be made while in the midst of some sort of medical crisis.
The decision often is made just as the individual is about to be discharged from a hospital where they were probably hospitalized because of some serious illness, fall, or surgery. If the person is no longer able to live independently, or if there is a need for ongoing rehabilitative care, then these decisions may have to be made literally within a matter of days.
At that point in time there are often a very limited number of available options. And the pressure is on because there's precious little time to make an informed decision.
If the individual doesn't have the necessary financial resources to pay for their care then there will be even fewer choices available.
Therefore, if you or a loved one is approaching the golden years then your best strategy - the one that will give you the most options - is to plan ahead. In order to make the most informed decision, in order to select the best facility, you should determine the costs of the long-term care and learn how to recognize which nursing homes offer the highest quality care.
The vast majority of nursing homes in the United States properly care for their residents. However, some unscrupulous nursing home owners take advantage of their staff and their residents. Consequently, in these situations, there may very well be instances of elder abuse.
This is intolerable. No one, young or old, should be abused.
If you know of any instances of nursing home abuse then it would be in the best interest of the person being abused for you to contact a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer.
