You’ve been caring for your loved one, possibly in your home or their home, and you’ve finally realized their needs have surpassed your ability to meet them. You’re exhausted and desperate. But before you go out and enlist the services of a nursing home you come to regret, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Before you commit, make unannounced visits to the nursing home at different times of day and on different days of the week so that you see different shifts of workers.
- During your visits, observe the following:
- Is there a bad odor that permeates the nursing home? This may mean the personal hygiene of the patients is being neglected.
- Is there personal interaction between care givers and care receivers? Are the care givers respectful? For example, are they getting down on one knee and talking to care receivers in wheelchairs eye to eye? Are they asking the permission of patients before they move them? Is the nursing home creating genuine community, or is it just warehousing its patients? Is the facility solving problems by over medicating its patients?
- Check out the kitchen. Is it clean? Can it provide a variety of menus that meet the entire spectrum of nutritional needs of its patients?
- Ask for the site’s inspection reports and review them carefully.
- Many states require a facility ombudsman – a patient advocate. Contact the ombudsman for the facility and discuss any issues the facility has had.
- Review your state’s distinctive laws and policies governing nursing homes.
- Your loved one doesn’t leave their civil rights at the door when they enter a nursing home. The nursing home becomes their home. They have a right to read anything they want, watch anything they want on TV, listen to anything they want and go to bed anytime they want.?
- Before signing anything, get copies of all paperwork from the nursing home and read it thoroughly.
- Consider opting out of mandated arbitration clauses. These clauses remove your right to sue in cases of gross negligence and force you to agree to arbitration with an arbitrator of their choosing. In Colorado, you have 90 days after signing to opt out of these clauses.
Caring for a loved one with serious physical and/or mental needs is not easy. Making the decision to put that loved one in a nursing home can be excruciating. But investing some time and effort will help you and your loved one make an informed and wise decision.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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One thought on “What You Need to Know Before Choosing a Nursing Home for Your Loved One”
Great information Herb, didn’t know some of these suggestions.