Most people don’t want to think about a nursing home for a loved one. That’s because it’s a difficult subject to talk about, especially considering everything that can be associated with it. For many people, however, it’s something that will have to come up.
When it comes to actually pick a nursing home, though, many people don’t know what they’re doing. How do you pick the right nursing home? After all, nobody wants to end up in a position where they need a nursing home abuse attorney.
How do you ensure this? Thankfully, there are several things that you can do to make sure that this doesn’t happen. It’ll also make sure that your loved one is happy and well taken care of once they’re in the home.
How To Choose A Nursing Home
Location & Size
Location will be one of the first things to consider. If you were to move into a home, you wouldn’t want to be too far away from family. That’s probably the case with your loved one. There’s also the fact that you might want to visit them regularly.
Doing so is easier if they’re relatively close by. That could mean restricting your nursing home search to some of the closest ones. If you go this route, you should find yourself in a better position when you’re visiting your loved one.
If there are any emergencies, this also means that you can get there quickly. That might be a priority for many people. Size will also matter, as you’ll want your loved one to have enough space to be comfortable and move around, especially in communal areas.
Services
Though all nursing homes will provide a certain level of care, they can often offer different services. Some of these can be specialized. There are few nursing homes that offer a three-course meal that is customized to the participant’s needs because many of them have unique dietary needs, such as food allergies, diabetes, and need for easy-to-swallow food, etc. (Click here for more information on this service). If some of these apply to your loved one, then you’ll need to narrow down your choice of nursing homes significantly.
While you’d think that all nursing homes will provide these, that’s unfortunately not the case. As such, you’ll need to determine what services are mandatory and choose accordingly.
Staff
The staff in a nursing home are the ones responsible for your loved ones’ care. To make sure it’s the right place for your loved one, you’ll need to make sure that they have the expertise and certifications to do so. Alongside this will be their attitudes, personality, and other factors.
When you’re visiting a nursing home, you should observe the staff at work. Are they good at their jobs? Do you have a good feeling about how they’ll take care of your loved one? These are all factors that you should pay attention to.
Naturally, how they treat and look after current residents will be a great way of determining how they look after your loved one.
Independence
Moving into a nursing home can be scary for many people. A lot of that could be related to a perceived lack of independence. While your loved one mightn’t be able to do certain things by themselves, the things they can do, they’ll want to do.
Can they do this if they move into a particular home? Though some of these can be relatively minor, they could mean much more to your loved one than you realize. That also applies to being able to move around the premises and its exteriors, if appropriate.
Potential Red Flags
All of the above could be positives or negatives, depending on your outlook. There are multiple red flags that you should also be aware of. While some could be minor, they could add up enough to worry about.
Some of the most common of these include:
- A poor violation history, even minor ones.
- Any severe violations.
- Administrators that are inaccessible or incompetent.
- A bad feeling in your stomach.
You should keep these in mind when you first visit a nursing home. Ideally, it will be before your loved one is admitted there. That’s why visiting beforehand and knowing as much as possible about the home can be vital.
Wrapping Up
Nobody wants to consider putting a loved one in a nursing home. In many cases, it can be the best option for them and you. That’s only true if you pick the right home, though. Keeping everything above in mind will make sure that that’s the case.
It’s worth taking your time throughout this process. You’ll want to make sure that your loved one is comfortable with the decision, alongside the rest of the family. That will make things much easier when it comes to actually move into the home.
Thankfully, the professionals working in a nursing home will help you with much of this. As such, it’s always recommended that you ask questions and be communicative throughout. That’s also true once your loved one has moved in.