How To Find The Best Nursing Home Facility For Your Loved One
Finding a nursing home for your loved one may feel daunting, but the right facility can provide them with a level of care you may be unable to provide at home. Elderly relatives who need assistance or specialized services can experience a high quality of life at a facility with trained, caring staff and medical professionals.
For example, if your loved one has Alzheimer’s, they need appropriate care provided by trained workers who can treat and attend to their needs. Alzheimer’s Association figures show that over 75% of Alzheimer’s patients over the age of 80 live in nursing homes.
The elder abuse attorneys at Berberian Ain LLP can help you decide on the right long-term care facility for your loved one. Explore the following tips on choosing a facility that can provide adequate care for your loved one and reduce the stress associated with caring for an elderly relative on your own.
Identify the Needs of Your Loved One
Selecting a nursing home for your family member involves choosing a facility that meets their needs. Consider different types of facilities for your loved one, including:
Assisted living facility
This type of facility is ideal for patients who struggle with basic daily tasks at home. Residents can maintain independence while still receiving help for activities like dressing and food preparation.
Skilled nursing facility
A skilled nursing facility is where medical professionals, such as registered nurses, provide medical care to patients who suffered recent illnesses or injuries. Patient care may also involve physical therapy, occupational rehabilitation, and speech therapy.
Memory care facility
A memory care facility is for those suffering from memory issues such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. These facilities may have more security features so staff members can monitor the residents’ health while keeping them safe from wandering off the grounds. Memory care residents benefit from programs and activities to boost their cognitive skills while letting them pursue their hobbies.
Evaluate Your Financial Capability to Pay for Care
Nursing home facilities can be expensive if your family member doesn’t have insurance or other financial resources. Assisted living facilities cost an average of $4,500 per month, while private rooms in nursing homes reached up to $8,910 monthly in 2021. According to A Place for Mom, the monthly costs for memory care were $5,430.
Most health insurance and Medicare policies do not cover long-term care. However, long-term coverage may be available to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Medicaid can cover care in nursing homes that accept it. The program may cover assisted living if it is cheaper than a nursing home, but there is a waitlist for coverage.
Look for a Nursing Home
Compile a list of potential nursing homes for your loved one. Discuss your concerns and questions with a family member or friend who has a loved one in long-term care. They may recommend particular facilities based on their first-hand experience. You can also use online search tools to build a list of possible facilities.
Always choose a licensed facility for your relative. You can view licensed homes on California’s Department of Social Services’ care facility search tool. Use the following online databases and tools to make your list:
Eldercare Locator
The Eldercare Locator is an online tool from the Administration for Community Living that gives you information about the county and state agencies that can help find long-term care facilities.
You can use the site to find the contact information for the long-term care ombudsman. Request information from your ombudsman about a facility’s citation history, such as nursing home abuse and neglect. You can also ask about recent transfers of ownership for a facility.
Care Compare Tool
The Care Compare tool on Medicare.gov allows you to search for nursing homes and long-term care hospitals based on the quality of care, staffing levels, and outcomes of health inspections. You can also use the tool to look up their history of penalties for safety violations.
Aging Life Care Search Tool
Use the member search tool from the Aging Life Care Association to locate a local care manager. A care manager can provide individualized attention to evaluate and locate the best long-term care facility to meet your loved one’s needs.
A Place for Mom
A Place for Mom has a directory of over 14,000 senior care institutions, including nursing homes and memory care facilities. Their advisors can also help you and your family member choose a facility that is right for them.
Schedule Visits to Nursing Facilities
Narrow down your list of facilities and visit your top three institutions. Meet with the administrator and return a second time without an appointment to assess how the facility runs when the administrator is absent. Ask your tour guide about the level of care in the facility to see if they can meet your family member’s needs.
Watch out for the following during your visits, as these factors can provide insight into how the facility may treat your loved one:
- Cleanliness of the facility
- Activity offered to patients
- Staff to patient ratio
- Facility layout and design
Select the Best Nursing Home Facility for Your Loved One
To choose the right nursing home for your loved one, use online tools like facility locators, comparison tools, and rating systems. Visit your top few facilities more than once to get a feel for the level of care your family member will receive. These steps minimize their chances of enduring neglect or abuse at a poorly run facility.
If your loved one experiences abuse or neglect in an assisted living facility, you can work with an attorney specializing in elder abuse. At Berberian Ain LLP, we can advocate on your loved one’s behalf for their dignity and legal rights in the case of nursing home abuse and neglect. Contact us today to schedule a free case consultation with one of our attorneys.